Department for Transport

British Airways: Staff

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to support employees of British Airways in response to the proposed restructuring of the business; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: The recent announcements about redundancies by British Airways will no doubt be very distressing for employees and their families. Both the Secretary of State and I have spoken directly to IAG’s Chief Executive, Willie Walsh, to discuss the organisation’s plans for engagement with staff and union representatives. I have offered to support these engagement efforts, where appropriate to do so, and have also encouraged the company to go beyond its minimum legal obligations in supporting its employees. I will continue to encourage BA and unions to engage constructively with each other, striving to provide employees with as much certainty as possible during this challenging time.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to prevent job loses in the aviation sector.

Kelly Tolhurst: The aviation sector is able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. These measures include: HMRC’s Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, including VAT deferrals; HMT and the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility; the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme for large and small businesses; and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which provides financial support for employees. Employers in the aviation sector can apply for a grant that covers 80% of furloughed employees’ usual monthly wage costs, up to £2500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions. If airlines or airports find themselves in trouble as a result of coronavirus, even following the Government’s cross-economy wage and financial interventions, the Transport Secretary and Chancellor have confirmed that we are prepared to enter discussions with individual companies seeking bespoke support as a last resort, having exhausted all other options. Any intervention would need to represent value for money for taxpayers.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating  additional ringfenced funding to support rural bus routes.

Rachel Maclean: The Government recognises the importance that public transport has for the sustainability and independence of communities, which is why we are providing a £20 million Rural Mobility Fund to support demand responsive services in rural and suburban areas and a further £30 million of funding to improve current services and restore lost services affected by COVID-19. This is on top of the annual £43 million Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) directly paid to local authorities so that they can subsidise socially necessary bus services and the Rural Services Delivery Grant which in 2019/2020 provided £81 million.

Public Transport: Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to protect public transport workers from covid-19.

Rachel Maclean: The Department is working closely with the wider transport sector, including operators and trade unions, on the implementation of the Safer Transport guidance that aims to help organisations, agencies and others (such as self-employed transport providers) understand how to provide safe workplaces and services. The guidance sets out how employers can advise staff and passengers on maintaining good hand hygiene and on ways to keep their distance from other people as much as possible, including, for example, through using screens or staggering departures and arrival times. It also outlines that staff should wear a face covering when they are unable to maintain social distancing in passenger facing roles, while recognising that there will be exceptional circumstances when a staff member cannot wear a face covering, or when their task makes it sensible (based on a risk assessment) for them not to wear a face covering. The Secretary of State for Transport is also committed to ensuring that every transport worker who requires testing has access. The Department is engaging closely with stakeholders and DHSC to ensure that a robust testing process is in place for transport workers, whilst recognising that priority needs to be given to patient care, front-line healthcare staff and social care workers. Everyone in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with COVID-19 symptoms can get tested. Antigen testing, or testing for current infection, is currently available through home delivery kits, regional test sites, satellite sites and mobile testing centres throughout the country.

Bus Services: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his Northern Irish counterpart on introduction of Urby buses with wifi and tables; and what assessment has he made of the potential merits of those buses in attracting younger people to use public transport.

Rachel Maclean: The Secretary of State spoke with Nichola Mallon MLA on February 27 and both parties agreed to work constructively together on many of the cross-cutting issues in transport. The Department will continue to engage with counterparts from the devolved administrations, including Northern Ireland, around the uptake of zero-emission vehicles, which includes buses. Previous engagement has included a programme of Roundtables and bilateral working. The Government is continuously assessing ways to improve public transport across the UK.

Driving Licences

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the time taken by the DVLA to (a) renew driving licences and (b) respond to queries.

Rachel Maclean: The quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence is to do so online. All the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services are available and working as normal. Postal applications have to be dealt with in person and will therefore take longer to process as the DVLA has a reduced number of staff on-site to comply with social distancing requirements and ensure staff safety. All photocard driving licences expiring between 1 February and 31 August have been extended by seven months. Drivers do not need to take any action to benefit from this change and the DVLA will write to them when their licence is due for renewal. The DVLA’s contact centre is open for all customers Monday to Friday 8am to 1pm and 2pm to 7pm, and Saturday 8am to 2pm.

Cycling and Motorcycles: Delivery Services

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with representatives from (a) Deliveroo, (b) UberEats and (c) other online food ordering and delivery companies to ensure that (i) bicycles and (ii) mopeds used to deliver food meet minimum road safety requirements.

Rachel Maclean: Employers have a duty to manage the risks of their work activities and employees have a responsibility to drive safely. Anyone using a bicycle or moped on the highway has a responsibility to ensure that their vehicle meets specific standards that comply with the law in the interests of their own safety and that of other road users.

Motor Vehicles: Delivery Services

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with representatives from major hot food delivery companies on reducing the use of petrol and diesel vehicles for customer deliveries.

Rachel Maclean: My Ministerial colleagues and I regularly meet stakeholders to discuss our ambitions for greener road transport. The Government is investing around £2.5bn‎ with grants available for ultra-low emission vehicles, as well as funding to support charge point infrastructure at homes, workplaces, on residential streets and across the wider roads network. This includes motorcycles and mopeds, which are often used for hot food deliveries, and which are eligible for the plug-in motorcycle grant (PIMG). The grant, which was introduced in 2017, is worth up to £1,500 to reduce the upfront cost and support the early market for these vehicles. Since its launch, over 1,900 motorbikes and mopeds have been supported by the grant scheme. The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) was extended on 1 April 2020 to include eligible PIMG electric motorcycles. The scheme provides a rebate of £350 towards the cost of installing an electric vehicle chargepoint. The Government specifically wants to target the decarbonisation of last mile deliveries in our urban areas. Since February 2018 the Department has supported the uptake of e-cargo bikes through a £2 million grant programme to help achieve this.

Economic Growth: Coronavirus

Joanna Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Government plans to support economic recovery as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Secretary of State and my ministerial colleagues have frequent conversations with the Chancellor and Treasury ministers on the vital role of transport in re-igniting the economy, and levelling up across the UK. We've already made important announcements, including £2bn of funding to encourage people to walk and cycle, and announced £100m of funding to improve local roads. I will continue to work closely with the Chancellor, including on Project Speed, to make sure we are building and delivering transport that will help drive the UK's recovery from Covid-19.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the proposals put forward by the New Economics Foundation report entitled Crisis support to aviation and the right to retrain, published on 10 June 2020.

Kelly Tolhurst: The aviation sector is important to the UK economy and the government recognises the challenging times facing the sector as a result of COVID-19. The Department for Transport has kept an open dialogue with the aviation sector through engagement at both ministerial and official levels. The Department’s Expert Steering Group was established to bring together all interested parties to co-produce solutions to the issues facing the sector. The Group is best placed to identify and support what practical steps are required to restart the industry, as well as to consider what longer term steps are required to ensure the sector’s full recovery.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many local authorities have a competitive tendering process for the procurement of speed cameras; and his Department encourages local authorities to undertake a competitive tendering process for the procurement of those cameras.

Rachel Maclean: The procurement for goods and services for items such as speed cameras is entirely a matter for each local highway authority.

Driving Instruction: Coronavirus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that driving instructors follow DVSA and Government guidelines in safely restarting driving lessons.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. Driving instructors are responsible for ensuring their services remain safe. Guidance on how they can carry out risk assessments can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s website. The DVSA will release an updated version of its standard operating procedure for driving examiners, which driving instructors might wish to refer to when developing their own health and safety procedures. The DVSA will be sending this directly to driving instructors and it will be hosted on the National Associations Strategic Partnership website. The DVSA would encourage all driving instructors to keep up to date with the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) website for further advice and information: http://www.n-a-s-p.co.uk/

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with driving examiners unions' on whether their members plan to return to work on 22 July 2020 as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s priority throughout the coronavirus outbreak has been to protect the public and save lives. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. The DVSA has been in constant dialogue with the Trade Unions throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and continues to engage and consult on its start up plans. All of the DVSA’s revised Standard Operating Procedures and Risk Assessments have been shared with and cleared by the Trade Unions. The DVSA has consulted with Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive and has released an updated version of its standard operating procedure and risk assessments to driving examiners, which contains social distancing measures and safety precautions, to ensure the safe restart of driving tests. The DVSA is currently engaging with Scottish and Welsh Governments to ensure it engages with Health advisors before services are resumed in both.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will extend the expiry period for driving theory tests during the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachel Maclean: The two-year validity period of the theory test certificate is set in legislation. This is so the candidate’s theoretical knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards remains current. To extend the validity period would require legislative change.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Compensation

Theo Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the processes used by High Speed Two Ltd in relation to (a) land and (b) property claims.

Andrew Stephenson: One of the Government’s key objectives for the HS2 programme is to deliver a step- change in HS2 Ltd’s performance and to drive improvements in transparency and accountability. Central to that ambition is to place people - the communities, individuals and businesses who are being impacted by the new railway - at the heart of everything the Government does. It is inevitable that a project the size and scale of HS2 will be disruptive to people who face losing their homes, relocating their businesses or having their community disrupted during construction and the future operation of the railway. The Government has already introduced a range of property compensation schemes that seek to strike a sensible balance between supporting those affected and protecting the public purse. Nevertheless, the Government is determined to ensure those people and businesses are supported, fairly compensated, and treated with compassion, dignity and respect. I therefore commissioned a review in May of the HS2 land and property acquisition programme. This review is examining HS2 Ltd’s land and property acquisition processes and, where the evidence demonstrates it, associated wider-government policies. It is looking at what can be done to streamline claims and payments to remove unnecessary delay and frustration for people who are giving up land for the scheme. Work on the review has involved close joint-working between the Department and HS2 Ltd, and engagement with numerous stakeholders, including all line of route MPs. The Government expects the review to conclude shortly. A copy of the final report and proposals for change will be placed in the Libraries of the Houses of Parliament.

Bus Services: Coronavirus

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing coaches and buses to operate without social distancing but with the compulsory wearing of facemasks by passengers and other similar measures.

Rachel Maclean: It is a Government priority to ensure that passengers can travel safely on public transport. On 15 June, it became law that passengers must wear a face covering when travelling on public transport services in England. Following a review of social distancing guidelines, from 4 July, where it is not always possible to stay two metres apart, passengers should try to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’, taking actions which reduce the risk of transmission, such as wearing a face covering, not directly facing other passengers and regularly washing or sanitising your hands.

Railway Stations: Wolverhampton

Jane Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to make funding available for the development of new railway stations in Wolverhampton.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We announced the £500m Restoring Your Railway Fund in January 2020 to enable opportunities to reinstate railway services and add new railway stations to the railway network. The Restoring Your Railway Programme is about connecting people and communities. The Ideas Fund is for those schemes that are in an early stage of development and need to explore the options for solving a transport problem. An idea that can improve a service and provide a solution to a transport problem that involves levelling up the economy is exactly the kind of proposal the Ideas Fund is interested in. For proposals that have moved past the early idea stage, there is also the New Station Fund and Advanced Proposals. For information about how to apply, please refer to this website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/re-opening-beeching-era-lines-and-stations/re-opening-beeching-era-lines-and-stations Additionally, I am pleased to see that Phase 1 of the new Wolverhampton station has recently been completed, with a contribution of £13.5m from the Local Growth Fund to the overall Wolverhampton Interchange project, including for the tram extension to the station.

Road Traffic Offences: Enforcement

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned timescale is for bringing into effect Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 enabling local authorities outside London to enforce school streets schemes.

Rachel Maclean: The commencement of Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 is a longstanding and complex issue which we are looking at carefully, including the role that moving traffic enforcement powers could play in helping councils to deliver their transport recovery plans. No decisions have yet been taken.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Constituencies: Stockport and Tameside

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the hon. Member for City of Chester, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of asking the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to consider delaying the periodic Ward Boundary Reviews in (i) Tameside and (ii) Stockport for 12 months to allow those councils to focus on covid-19 prevention and community support activity.

Christian Matheson: Since the imposition of lockdown restrictions the Local Government Boundary Commission for England has had extensive dialogue with those councils included in its electoral review programme. This includes Tameside and Stockport.The Commission initially paused input from councils for three months where councils felt it would help them deal with their response to COVID-19. It is in continuing dialogue with councils to reach mutually acceptable timetables for carrying out electoral reviews. Those timetables are tailored to the individual council. A number have already been agreed. Some are proceeding broadly according to their original timetable, others have more significant extensions. Once agreed those timetables are subject to ongoing review to take account of future changes in circumstances faced by individual councils.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Wind Power: Scotland

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Scottish Crown Estate’s ScotWind leasing requirements for Scottish supply chain content.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Responsibility for offshore wind leasing is a devolved area. The Government has not made any assessment of the Scottish Crown Estate’s ScotWind leasing programme. However, Ministers and officials regularly engage with the Scottish Government.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Renewable Energy

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much energy from renewable sources has been produced from his departmental buildings in each of the last five years.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was formed in 2016 and so the following table shows the energy generated from solar PV by the Department at its headquarters building (1 Victoria Street, London) for each of the last four financial years and the current financial year to the end of June. 2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21Electricity - Solar PV (kWh)1,3771,8942,1062,406975**Data for 2020/21 is for April – June inclusive.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Renewable Energy

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether all of his departmental buildings are purchasing energy through a renewable energy tariff.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department purchases electricity through a renewable energy tariff for its London headquarters building (1 Victoria Street) and other London buildings containing departmental staff (151 Buckingham Palace Road, 10-18 Victoria Street, and Fleetbank House).

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Carbon Emissions

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much carbon his Department’s activities have produced in each of the last five years.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The table below shows how much carbon the Department’s activities have produced in each of the last four reporting years since the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was formed in 2016. 2016/172017/182018/192019/20Emissions tCO2e2,529.24*3,231.082,607.312,465.37 *Emissions for 2016/17 are based on energy consumed at the Department’s headquarters building (1 Victoria Street, London) and do not include emissions from other activities.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Energy

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has spent on energy conservation measures in his departmental buildings, in each of the last four years.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department is committed to reducing our carbon emissions and energy consumption wherever possible and in 2018 carried out an audit of its headquarters building (1 Victoria Street, London) to identify energy conservation measures. The spend on energy conservation measures in 2019/20 was £1,817,037.48 which includes projects such as lighting upgrades to LEDs, installation of energy monitoring software, and replacement of building services plant. Figures are not available for previous years as expenditure was captured against different headings.

Billing: Pensioners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with (a) utility companies and (b) banks on removing charges for pensioners who are not comfortable with online billing and do not choose paperless billing options.

Kwasi Kwarteng: I regularly engage with utility providers to address a wide range of issues. Through these conversations I always stress the importance of utility companies and banks serving the needs of all their customers, in particular the elderly and vulnerable, and look forward to raising this specific issue as part of my next engagement.

Heating

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support and (b) increase heat pump technology.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government takes the role heat pumps can have in driving down carbon emissions very seriously and BEIS are currently supporting heat pump deployment via both the Domestic and Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive. As per May 2020 the total number of Non-domestic RHI accredited applications was 2,057 and 57,817 in the Domestic RHI. The Clean Heat Grant scheme announced at Budget 2020 will provide targeted support from 2022 to help households and SMEs install heat pumps. The Green Heat Network Scheme will also provide support for heat pump installations in heat networks and the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will support heat pumps providing process heat. These policies have been designed as part of a broader package of measures to support the decarbonisation of heat. The Government intends to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy later this year, which will set out the wider actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings.

Construction: Materials

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the building supply trade to supply the needs of shovel ready projects.

Nadhim Zahawi: The construction sector will be a key part of our economic recovery following the Covid-19 outbreak. The Government continues to work closely with the sector to ensure that it is in a position to support the economic recovery, including the building supply trade. This includes the work of the Construction Leadership Council’s Coronavirus Task Force, which has established a product availability working group comprised of product manufacturers, builders’ merchants and suppliers, contractors of all sizes, and housebuilders. The Task Force will monitor the supply and demand of products and identify those in short supply.

Exhibitions: Government Assistance

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether exhibition businesses are eligible for covid-19-related grant funding from his Department.

Paul Scully: The Government has announced a package of support for businesses to help with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This package of support includes the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF). Under the SBGF, all businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rates Relief as of 11 March 2020 will be eligible for a payment of £10,000. Under the RHLGF, businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) on 11 March 2020, with a rateable value of less than £51,000, will be eligible for cash grants of up to £25,000 per property: Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of up to and including £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000. Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000. On 1 May, the Government announced that up to £617 million has been made available to local authorities in England to allow them to provide discretionary grants. The Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs that are not liable for business rates or rates reliefs. Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, these schemes should be directed to the relevant local authority. Guidance to support local authorities to administer the Fund was published on 13 May at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding.

ICT: Regulation

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a Government-backed industry watchdog for the website design and IT sectors.

Paul Scully: The Government has not made an assessment of establishing an industry watchdog for these sectors. Businesses contracting for website design and IT will be protected by the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008, and consumers are protected under general consumer law.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gender Based Violence

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to raise the matter of gender-based violence at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda.

Nigel Adams: Unfortunately, in light of Covid-19, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda 2020 has been postponed. The Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon looks forward to attending the next CHOGM when it takes place in Kigali. Gender equality remains as important as ever in these times given the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on women and girls. We are working hard to ensure that they are at the forefront of our response. The UK is proud to be a world leader on efforts to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), and we are committed to eliminating it in all its forms.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Hong Kong.

Nigel Adams: We remain deeply concerned about the situation in Hong Kong. As the Foreign Secretary said in Parliament on 1 July, the enactment by China of a national security law for Hong Kong is a grave and deeply disturbing step. The law's imposition by Beijing on the people of Hong Kong constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Joint Declaration. On the same day, the Permanent Under Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office summoned the Chinese Ambassador to make clear the UK's deep concern at China's actions.The Government will continue to bring together its international partners to stand up for the people of Hong Kong, to call out the violation of their freedoms, and to hold China to their international obligations. On 30 June at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UK led a formal Joint Statement with the support of 27 international partners, setting out our deep concern on Hong Kong and the situation in Xinjiang. This statement, delivered through UK leadership, underlines the strength and breadth of international concern.

Overseas Aid: Accountancy

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans for there to be an accounting officer for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and a separate accounting officer for Official Development Assistance spend after the merger of his Department and the Department for International Development.

James Duddridge: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



The full details of the merger, including the structure of the new department, will be set out in due course.

Electronic Surveillance: Mobile Phones

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential for NSO's Pegasus software being used to target foreign journalists and campaigners; and if he will make a statement.

James Cleverly: There have been allegations that this software has been used in a way that is not in line with UK Human Rights Standards. We continue to champion human rights and media freedom around the world. Given these allegations are subject to ongoing investigations, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further.

China: Uighurs

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support people held in camps in Xinjiang.

Nigel Adams: We remain committed to promoting human rights in Xinjiang. On 30 June, the UK read out a statement on behalf of 27 countries at the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council highlighting concerns about arbitrary detention, widespread surveillance and restrictions in Xinjiang, urging China to allow the High Commissioner for Human Rights meaningful access to the region.

Arms Trade: Human Rights

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential risks to human rights of sales of ammunition to countries with no existing military conflicts.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 06 July 2020



All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. A careful assessment of potential end use and end user is central to the decision making process. Risks around human rights violations or abuses are a key part of our assessment. We do not approve export licences for equipment and technology where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used for internal repression.

Tristan da Cunha: Lobsters

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the EU on ensuring that the lobster industry in Tristan da Cunha is not affected by EU tariffs at the end of the transition period.

Wendy Morton: In negotiations with the EU, the UK Government is acting on behalf of all the territories for whose international relations it is responsible, to seek outcomes that support their security and their economies. The Government fully understands the interests of Tristan da Cunha, including in regard to its lobster industry.We welcome the substantive input we have received from the Tristan da Cunha Government throughout these negotiations.

USA: Journalism

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has received any reports of incidents involving British journalists in the US since May 2020.

Wendy Morton: We are aware of a small number of British journalists and camera crews being affected by the US police response to the recent unrest. Our Embassy in Washington has raised the issue with the US Administration. Journalists all around the world must be free to do their job and to hold authorities to account without fear of arrest or violence.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that Portugal is included on the air bridge destinations list for UK tourists.

Nigel Adams: A list of countries and territories from which passengers arriving in England will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days was published on 3 July. This follows the Government's first review of public health measures at the border, which were introduced in June 2020. The Government has always been clear that any decisions on border measures will be proportionate and science-led.We are continuing to engage with partners on all aspects of the global response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish a list of countries from which the Government organised chartered flights to repatriate British travellers abroad who were stranded due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Nigel Adams: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hong Kong: Human Rights

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to call for the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Hong Kong.

Nigel Adams: As the Foreign Secretary said in Parliament on 1 July, the adoption by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in Beijing of a wide-ranging national security law for Hong Kong is a grave and deeply disturbing step. The enactment of this legislation, imposed by Beijing on the people of Hong Kong, constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Joint Declaration.The UK has already raised Hong Kong in the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council. We are focused on giving voice to the widespread international concerns on Hong Kong, and to working closely with international partners to call on China to live up to its obligations and responsibilities. Whilst formal mechanisms have proved helpful in other contexts in focusing the international community's attention, we judge that pursuing such an option at this time risks providing China an opportunity to frustrate and obstruct progress, undermining our objectives. We do not, though, rule out any diplomatic options and will keep the issue under review. We will also continue to work actively within international institutions and through multilateral groupings to urge China to uphold its international commitments, including the Joint Declaration.

Hong Kong: National Security

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he plans to have with (a) Non-Governmental Organisations, (b) news agencies and (c) journalists operating in Hong Kong on the potential effect of the introduction of new National Security legislation in Hong Kong on their work.

Nigel Adams: As the Foreign Secretary said in the House on 1 July, we are deeply concerned by China's imposition of national security legislation, which threatens Hong Kong's freedoms. The Government has wide-ranging contact with civil society groups in Hong Kong, including NGOs, news agencies, and journalists groups and individuals in Hong Kong, including via our Consulate General. The Foreign Secretary meets regularly with organisations and individuals focused on addressing human rights challenges, including during the most recent meeting of the Foreign Secretary's Advisory Group on Human Rights on 25 June. The Foreign Secretary will continue to engage closely with these groups, including on Hong Kong.

Hong Kong: National Security

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the viability of a continuing role for UK judges in the Hong Kong justice system as a result of the introduction of new national security legislation in Hong Kong.

Nigel Adams: Hong Kong's independent judiciary is a cornerstone of its economic success and way of life. The new legislation provides that Hong Kong's Chief Executive, rather than the Chief Justice, will appoint judges to hear national security cases, a move that clearly risks undermining the independence of Hong Kong's judiciary, which is protected by paragraph 3(3) of the Joint Declaration. We will monitor this closely, including its implications for the role of UK judges in the Hong Kong justice system.

Gulf States: Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2020 to Question 65183 on Gulf States: Overseas Aid, which projects have received funding from the Integrated Activity Fund; and how much funding has been allocated to each project in each financial year since 2016-17.

James Cleverly: The Integrated Activity Fund supports a range of programmes and projects across the Gulf. These include, but are not limited to, activities focusing on aquaculture, sport and culture, healthcare and institutional capacity building. The Integrated Activity Fund was allocated £20 million each year from 2016/17 to 2019/20.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Dental Services

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Chief Dental Officer for England has to issue advice to (a) dentists and (b) other dental care staff on responding to the coivd-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 23 March 2020



Advice has been ongoing throughout the crisis, with safe working documents being produced from 20th March. NHS England and Improvement (NHSE/I) announced on 28th May that NHS Dental services could gradually resume from 8 June. Urgent dental centres remain open to assist with the resumption of routine dentistry. NHSE/I published a series of guidance throughout the pandemic to support dental practices. The latest guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/dental-practice/The guidance includes:- NHSE/I letter issued to all dental practices, regional dental leads of the resumption of dental services.- A detailed standard operating procedure was issued setting out guidance on how to restart dentistry safely- Public Health England published guidance to dentalpractices and other health care professionals on infection control protocols (IPC) and personal protective equipment (PPE)

Coronavirus: Dental Services

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the spread of covid-19 in dental practice settings.

Jo Churchill: The Chief Dental Officer with NHS England and NHS Improvement has published detailed guidance on minimising spread of COVID-19 to dentists or patients. The series started on 20 March, including standard operating practice which was published on 15 April.This, along with the guidance from Public Health England on levels of personal protective equipment (PPE) required for dental procedures that are aerosol generating, has given dentists detailed advice on how dentistry can be safely delivered during the peak pandemic period.NHS dentists were instructed to suspend all routine dentistry to meet social distancing guidelines and reduce the spread of Covid-19. All NHS dental practices are required to provide telephone advice, prescriptions if needed and triage on to urgent dental centres for patients with urgent treatment needs.The series of guidance is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/dental-practice/ NHS England and NHS Improvement announced on 28th May that NHS dentistry outside urgent care centres could begin to restart from 8th June with the aim of increasing levels of service as fast as is compatible with maximising safety.A copy of the letter that was published can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-ontent/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/Urgent-dental-care-letter-28-May.pdf

Coronavirus: Screening

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been tested for covid-19 upon admission to hospital, on each day since 1 January 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 27 April 2020



The Department recognises the importance of transparency and publishing information on COVID-19 testing but must balance this with the accuracy of the data.Data on the number of people tested across the whole of the United Kingdom requires a range of complex data sets from multiple organisations, including those held by the devolved administrations, to be reconciled to identify unique individuals. The process is complex, and we are not yet content that the data we have available is robust enough to provide an accurate picture.The Department is working with the data owners to resolve the issues that currently prevent it from publishing the number of people tested. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible and have committed to publishing this information going forward.In terms of testing people upon admission to hospital, an operating framework has been published on the NHS England website which advises on management of urgent and planned services within hospital. In the case of day interventions, testing and isolation is determined locally, based on patient and procedural risk. The framework is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/05/Operating-framework-for-urgent-and-planned-services-within-hospitals.pdf

Out-patients: Coronavirus

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to introduce covid-19 testing for patients prior to hospital outpatient appointments.

Ms Nadine Dorries: An operating framework has been published on NHS England’s website which advises on management of urgent and planned services within hospital. In the case of day interventions, testing and isolation is determined locally, based on patient and procedural risk. The framework is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/05/Operating-framework-for-urgent-and-planned-services-within-hospitals.pdf

Coronavirus: Medical Equipment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of an international lack of availability of high throughput testing machines on access to those machines by the NHS; how  many lower throughput open platform machines are in use by Public Health England; and what the effect of that lack of availability is on Public Health England’s testing capacity.

Ms Nadine Dorries: NHS England is currently reviewing high-throughput testing capability in close collaboration with our pathology testing laboratories to support access to high throughput testing platforms across each of our 29 pathology laboratory networks. There are various testing platforms in use throughout the National Health Service and Public Health England (PHE) testing laboratories, including high throughput and lower throughput platforms. This review will enable the NHS to sustainably increase Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing capacity across England. Nine PHE labs provide diagnostic testing capacity to support pillar 1 of the Government’s testing strategy. The size and nature of the laboratories vary, and they do not all use the same machines. PHE labs have a number of ‘open’ molecular extraction, liquid handling and molecular amplification platforms as well as a number of high throughput end-to-end platforms which are being used to undertake a significant proportion of COVID-19 testing.There is a sufficient number of platforms to meet the demands on PHE for testing under pillar 1 of the Government’s testing strategy. PHE and NHS laboratories, together with a PHE partnership with Roche, achieved the target for pillar 1 of 25,000 tests a day by the end of April.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to set out a timetable for the resumption of routine dental services.

Jo Churchill: To meet the Government social distancing measures and to contain the spread of COVID-19 all routine dentistry was suspended at the start of the pandemic.NHS England and NHS Improvement announced on 28 May that National Health Service dentistry outside urgent care centres will begin to gradually restart from 8 June where practices assess that they have the necessary personal protective equipment and infection prevention and control. The aim is to increase levels of service as fast as is compatible with maximising safety.A copy of the letter that was published can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/Urgent-dental-care-letter-28-May.pdfWe still expect all NHS dental practices to provide urgent telephone advice and triage. Dentists are giving urgent advice remotely and, if needed, prescriptions for painkillers or antibiotics. All urgent face to face treatment that is clinically necessary will still be available for patients who are triaged by their dentist or NHS 111 into one of over 600 urgent dental care centres set up by NHS England and NHS Improvement.To ensure the safety of all dental care professionals and patients NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Chief Dental Officer have published the latest standard operating procedure guidance.This can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/dental-standard-operating-procedure-transition-to-recovery/

Dental Services

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to reopen dental treatment services as part of the Government’s easing of covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Jo Churchill: To meet the Government social distancing measures and to contain the spread of COVID-19 all routine dentistry was suspended at the start of the pandemic.NHS England and NHS Improvement announced on 28 May that National Health Service dentistry outside urgent care centres will begin to gradually restart from 8 June where practices assess that they have the necessary personal protective equipment and infection prevention and control. The aim is to increase levels of service as fast as is compatible with maximising safety.A copy of the letter that was published can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/Urgent-dental-care-letter-28-May.pdfWe still expect all NHS dental practices to provide urgent telephone advice and triage. Dentists are giving urgent advice remotely and, if needed, prescriptions for painkillers or antibiotics. All urgent face to face treatment that is clinically necessary will still be available for patients who are triaged by their dentist or NHS 111 into one of over 600 urgent dental care centres set up by NHS England and NHS Improvement.To support dentists and teams to reopen safely NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Chief Dental Officer have published a standard operating procedure covering the recovery transition.This can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/dental-standard-operating-procedure-transition-to-recovery/

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, as more employees are encouraged to return to work where it is safe to do so, what Government support and guidance he plans to make available to family members of people at the highest risk from covid-19 where those family members are employed in public facing roles.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 08 June 2020



People living with someone who has been identified as being at highest clinical risk are advised to familiarise themselves with the guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19 at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19#living-with-other-people They should also follow the national guidance on staying alert and safe (social distancing) which is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing People living with someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable and is shielding do not need to start shielding themselves.

Coronavirus: Public Health

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps have been taken by (a) the Government, (b) Public Health England and (c) NHS England to test the effectiveness of the covid-19 guidance and related public communications with (a) adults aged 60 and over, (b) people designated as clinically vulnerable and (c) people designated as clinically extremely vulnerable.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



The Department, Public Health England and NHS England and NHS Improvement have engaged widely with clinicians, patients and patient organisations on policy and communications aimed at those people designated as clinically extremely vulnerable. This includes organising a number of focus groups to better understand how messages and communication channels on shielding have landed with audiences including those who are 70 and over and people who identify as clinically extremely vulnerable and clinically vulnerable. These insights continue to inform our communications.

Coronavirus: Kingston Upon Hull

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 mobile testing units are in operation in Hull.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Hull is served by its own regional testing site and this facility has been supplemented by mobile testing units (MTUs) in Hull seven times.As of 10 June, there were 89 operational testing units. Mobile testing enables temporary testing sites to be set up quickly to serve communities on a rolling basis. An MTU provides a clinically assured, stand-alone testing service and is intended for people who cannot easily access regional test sites.

Coronavirus: Kingston Upon Hull

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many positive covid-19 test results have been recorded from tests completed by mobile testing units based in Hull.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We do not publish data on individual mobile testing units (MTUs). We are working to improve the user experience and capacity of all MTUs across the country to meet public need.

Coronavirus: Kingston Upon Hull

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how and by whom are covid-19 mobile testing units being managed and co-ordinated in Hull.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are working with local partners and the Army to ensure successful delivery of our mobile testing unit services to members of the public.

Dental Services: Protective Clothing

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to assist dental practices to procure the personal protective equipment required to safely reopen after 8 June 2020.

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of personal protective equipment used in dental practices for the safety of (a) dentists and (b) patients.

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of personal protective equipment on the ability of dental practices to open during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



Most high street dentists purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) via dental wholesalers which supply a range of equipment needed by dentists including PPE. During the COVID-19 pandemic the Government is working closely with industry, the National Health Service, social care providers and the army to ensure that PPE is delivered to those who need it. Our priority is ensuring the safety of patients and all health care workers, including dentists. This includes supporting dental wholesalers to stock the equipment needed by general dental practice to safely support practices to restart face to face dental care. Public Health England provides guidance on infection prevention and control (IPC) for COVID-19 which covers both the PPE to be used by sector and the enhanced PPE that is needed for particular procedures such as those that are aerosol generating.The latest IPC guidance can be viewed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-controlNHS England and NHS Improvement issued additionally detailed standard operating procedure earlier this month setting out detailed guidance on how dentists can restart face to face dentistry safely.NHS England and NHS Improvement dental guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/dental-practice/Dentists are responsible for ensuring that they follow safe clinical practice taking into account available official guidance.As independent contractors, dentists are currently required to fund PPE and other expenses from their overall contract value. In the short term PPE costs should not be a barrier to restarting NHS dentistry. NHS dentists have been, since practice based face to face care was suspended at the end of March, nevertheless been receiving their usual funding in full and this is continuing during the restart period. NHS England and NHS Improvement are considering with representatives of the profession the approach to overall remuneration for the remainder of 2020/21.

Dental Services: Coronavirus

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to assist dental practices in training staff to comply with covid-19 guidelines.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



NHS England and NHS Improvement announced on 28 May that National Health Service dental services can gradually resume from 8 June. Over 600 urgent dental centres remain open to assist with the resumption of routine dentistry, and provide care.  NHS England and NHS Improvement published a series of guidance throughout the pandemic to support dental practices. The latest guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/dental-practice/The guidance includes:- NHS England and NHS Improvement letter issued to all dental practices, regional dental leads of the resumption of dental services;- A detailed standard operating procedure was issued setting out guidance on how to restart dentistry safely; and- Public Health England published guidance to dental practices and other health care professionals on infection control protocols and personal protective equipment.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish weekly regional R rate figures for covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Government Office for Science currently publishes the latest estimates of R in NHS England regions on a weekly basis and these are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-number-in-the-uk

Pharmacy: Coronavirus

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to (a) ensure the safety of and (b) support pharmacists during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Community pharmacies are private businesses and employers in the sector have a legal responsibility to protect workers from risk to their health and safety. Guidance on working safely is available to community pharmacies. This includes guidance published on GOV.UK for people who work in or run shops, stores or similar environments, including community pharmacies, and a COVID-19 standard operating procedure for community pharmacy, which has been published by NHS England and NHS Improvement.As part of minimising the risk to pharmacy staff, deliveries of personal protective equipment have been made to around 11,500 pharmacies in England. Further supplies have been distributed to wholesalers and distributor networks supplying community pharmacies and, where there remains an urgent need, provisions are in place for pharmacies to source supplies via Local Resilience Forums or the National Supply Distribution Response.Funding of £300 has been provided to community pharmacies for the purchase and installation of physical barriers such as screens and retractable tape barriers, or other adjustments, to help enforce social distancing between their staff and patients.We continue to work with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to assess what further support community pharmacy may require to continue to supply medicines and to help their communities stay well and to ensure their continued safety at this time.

Pharmacy

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on enabling pharmacists to use their professional judgement to support patient access to appropriate treatment when a medicine is out of stock.

Jo Churchill: The Department engages on an ongoing basis with representatives from the community pharmacy sector. The Department has well established processes to manage and mitigate the supply problems that may arise due to manufacturing or distribution issues and this has always been the case. It receives regular reports from the pharmaceutical industry about issues which may potentially interrupt the supply of medicines that may affect United Kingdom patients. Where shortages do occur, pharmacists are expected to use their professional judgement in deciding the best course of action for their patients.

Pharmacy: Coronavirus

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to use community pharmacies to support future covid-19 treatment and vaccine programmes and help reduce pressures on GPs and hospitals.

Jo Churchill: Plans for the supply of any COVID-19 treatments and vaccination programme will be finalised when further information is available on the medicines concerned. This includes route of administration and risk profile. However, we recognise that community pharmacy has proved a trusted delivery partner, offering convenience and unrivalled access, supplying medicines and expanding the reach of the flu vaccination programme into the communities they serve.

Coronavirus: Public Health

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the advice provided on shielding is the same on both the Gov.uk and the NHS information websites.

Jo Churchill: We are working across organisations to ensure a harmonised approach so that all forms of guidance and advice on shielding, both online and sent by letter to patients are consistent and up to date. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable should continue to follow the updated guidance at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Coronavirus: Kent

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are included on the Shielded Patient List in (a) Tonbridge and Malling constituency, (b) Tonbridge and Malling Borough and (c) Sevenoaks District.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not held at this local level.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the methodology used by NICE to appraise combination therapies in the ongoing NICE Methods Review.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 22 June 2020



The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for the methods it uses in developing its guidance. While NICE is currently undertaking a review of its methods for health technology evaluation, the review is not considering combination treatments as a specific topic.Commercial and policy-related challenges for combination treatments are being explored in other projects in line with the commitments in the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access. As stated in the Scheme, the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement will support the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s efforts to find solutions to these challenges.

Coronavirus: Social Distancing

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from covid-19, what plans he has to revise that guidance as the covid-19 social distancing measures are lifted.

Jo Churchill: On 22 June 2020, the Department set out a series of steps to relax the shielding guidance until shielding is paused on 31 July 2020. Full details are set out in the advice to clinically extremely vulnerable people at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Pharmacy: Finance

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a transitional funding package for community pharmacists (a) before and (b) during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: In July 2019, we published our landmark five-year deal, ‘Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework’. This deal made £2.592 billion per year available to community pharmacy from 2019-20 to 2023-24. It was agreed in line with the Cabinet Office’s cross-Government collective agreement process. The Department has had regular conversations with HM Treasury during the COVID-19 period about funding for community pharmacies. In addition to the unprecedented support package put in place for all businesses, further discussions are ongoing and we have agreed additional funding for a medicines delivery service for shielded patients and bank holiday openings.

Pupil Premium: Coronavirus

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential merits of a catch-up pupil premium for schools.

Jo Churchill: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care routinely meets with the Secretary of State for Education to discuss a wide range of cross-cutting issues.The Government have announced a £1 billion COVID-19 “catch-up” package to directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time. On 19 June the Education Endowment Foundation published a guide to help school leaders and staff decide how to use this universal funding to best support their pupils. Further information is available at the following link:https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Covid-19_Resources/Covid-19_support_guide_for_schools.pdf

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Coronavirus

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on trends in the level of post-viral complications in relation to people with ME.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England has made no assessment on the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on trends in the level of post-viral complications in relation to people with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Pharmacy: Coronavirus

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support was provided to pharmacies in response to the closure of GP surgeries during the initial phase of the covid-19 lockdown.

Jo Churchill: The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 outline provisions for emergency supply by a pharmacist, including one when a pandemic is declared or imminently anticipated. This specific provision has been utilised at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, to allow NHS England and NHS Improvement to commission a local enhanced service - where one is needed, for example when a general practitioner surgery closes – to enable pharmacists to supply medicines, which patients have been previously prescribed, without a prescription, and at the same time reducing administrative burden on pharmacies.Funds were also made available to support pharmacies to deliver medicines to shielded population and, since March, we have made available £350 million in extra advance payments to alleviate cash flow pressures.

Industrial Health and Safety: Coronavirus

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with the Health & Safety Executive to ensure that (a) workplaces are safe as people return to work and (b) employers are being supported in adhering to new safety guidelines.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 24 June 2020



The Government strategy to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic spans many Departments and agencies, including the Health and Safety Executive. The Government has provided a range of support and guidance for employers on working safely, including specific guidance for industries and sectors, which can be accessed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Ophthalmic Services: Coronavirus

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the College of Optometrists on enabling opticians to safely resume their services as the covid-19 lockdown is eased.

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when opticians will be able to reopen for routine appointments as part of the easing of the covid-19 lockdown.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



NHS England and NHS Improvement have been in discussion with the College, over plans to restart NHS eye care services.NHS England and NHS Improvement issued a letter and Standard Operating Procedure to the profession on 17 June setting out that practices are able to resume routine NHS eye care services, where practices have the relevant infection protection control and personal protection equipment in place. The letter also refers to guidance issued by the College of Optometrists, setting out ways in which practices could be adapted in the current circumstances. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/primary-care/optical-setting/

Eyesight: Health Services

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure individuals with (a) glaucoma and (b) other eye conditions are diagnosed and treated quickly as the covid-19 lockdown is eased.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



National Health Service guidance was issued in April asking local systems to step up non-COVID-19 urgent services as soon as possible. This included the need to provide urgent outpatient and diagnostic appointments at pre-COVID-19 levels, including those urgently needed for eye-related conditions. The NHS is now working to increasingly resume the routine elective services that were paused in order help manage COVID-19.The guidance can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/04/second-phase-of-nhs-response-to-covid-19-letter-to-chief-execs-29-april-2020.pdf

Prisoners: Health Services

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2020 to Question 54055 on Prisoners: Health Services, if he will make those assessments.

Ms Nadine Dorries: No assessment is necessary as secondary care services are not provided by primary care staff in prisons.Primary care staff facilitate the use of remote/digital services to support consultations carried out by secondary care staff where people in prisons have not travelled to out-patient settings.

Exercise Cygnus

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the Exercise Cygnus report and its related documents.

Jo Churchill: The publication of the Exercise Cygnus report is currently subject to ongoing legal proceedings, so it would be inappropriate to comment at this point.

Obesity: Children

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Childhood Obesity Plan, when the calorie reduction programme will be implemented; and whether that programme will be mandatory.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



Public Health England has been working to finalise the calorie reduction guidelines following extensive feedback from stakeholders. It is anticipated that the calorie reduction guidelines will be published later this year as part of the reduction and reformulation programme. The programme is voluntary as modelled by the salt reduction programme.

Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) pneumonia and (b) septic pneumonia were identified at official post-mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing meat inspections on red meat animals from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain: ConditionNumber of InstancesPneumonia5,121,649  Septic Pneumonia  150,099   In 2015/16 the FSA, through consultation, with the Association of Meat Inspectors, meat hygiene inspectors, industry representatives, other Government departments, devolved administrations, academic organisations, internal and external veterinarians and others developed a more defined and actionable list of conditions surrounding animal health, public health and animal welfare.

Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) pericarditis, (b) septic pericarditis, (c) peritonitis and (d) septic peritonitis were identified at official post-mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing meat inspections on red meat animals from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain: ConditionNumber of InstancesPericarditis1,262,174*Septic pericarditis*Not Specifically RecordedPeritonitis1,091,733Septic peritonitis186,786 In 2015/16 the FSA, through consultation, with the Association of Meat Inspectors, meat hygiene inspectors, industry representatives, other Government departments, devolved administrations, academic organisations, internal and external veterinarians and others developed a more defined and actionable list of conditions surrounding animal health, public health and animal welfare. Note:*With red meat, the condition septic pericarditis is not specifically recorded and is recorded against the condition septicaemia.

Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of abscesses in offal and carcasses were identified at official post-mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing meat inspections on red meat animals from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain:  ConditionNumber of InstancesAbscesses in offal and carcasses2,132,131 In 2015/16 the FSA, through consultation, with the Association of Meat Inspectors, meat hygiene inspectors, industry representatives, other Government departments, devolved administrations, academic organisations, internal and external veterinarians and others developed a more defined and actionable list of conditions surrounding animal health, public health and animal welfare.

Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of animals with (a) oedema, (b) emaciation and (c) bruising and trauma were identified at official post-mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing meat inspections on red meat animals from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain:  ConditionNumber of Instances*Oedema*470,701*EmaciationBruising and trauma454,600 In 2015/16 the FSA, through consultation, with the Association of Meat Inspectors, meat hygiene inspectors, industry representatives, other Government departments, devolved administrations, academic organisations, internal and external veterinarians and others developed a more defined and actionable list of conditions surrounding animal health, public health and animal welfare. Note:*The conditions Oedema and Emaciation are not recorded separately and are combined in the Food Standards Agency Collection and Communication of Inspection Results IT system. The 470,701 number of instances represents the cumulative number of emaciation and oedema cases identified at post-mortem inspection.

Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of animals with (a) septicaemia, (b) tumours and (c) pyaemia were identified at official post-mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing meat inspections on red meat animals from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain:  ConditionNumber of InstancesSepticaemia359,692Tumours13,201Pyaemia450,396 In 2015/16 the FSA, through consultation, with the Association of Meat Inspectors, meat hygiene inspectors, industry representatives, other Government departments, devolved administrations, academic organisations, internal and external veterinarians and others developed a more defined and actionable list of conditions surrounding animal health, public health and animal welfare.

Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) hydronephrosis, (b) lymphadenitis, (c) tuberculosis and (d) steatosis were identified at official post-mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing meat inspections on red meat animals from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain: ConditionNumber of InstancesHydronephrosis1,266,255*Lymphadenitis*Not Specifically RecordedTuberculosis314,726*Steatosis*Not Specifically Recorded In 2015/16 the FSA, through consultation, with the Association of Meat Inspectors, meat hygiene inspectors, industry representatives, other Government departments, devolved administrations, academic organisations, internal and external veterinarians and others developed a more defined and actionable list of conditions surrounding animal health, public health and animal welfare. Note:*With red meat, conditions identified at post-mortem inspection point that are not specifically recorded by name are recorded into the FSA Collection and Communication of Inspection Results IT system as ‘Other’.

Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) nephritis and (b) septic nephritis were identified at official post-mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing meat inspections on red meat animals from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain: ConditionNumber of InstancesNephritis261,209*Septic nephritis*Not Specifically Recorded In 2015/16 the FSA, through consultation, with the Association of Meat Inspectors, meat hygiene inspectors, industry representatives, other Government departments, devolved administrations, academic organisations, internal and external veterinarians and others developed a more defined and actionable list of conditions surrounding animal health, public health and animal welfare. Note:*With red meat, conditions identified at post-mortem inspection point that are not specifically recorded by name are recorded into the FSA IT system as ‘Other’.

Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) erysipelas in pigs, (b) actinobacillosis and (c) actinomycosis were identified at official post-mortem inspection and prevented from entering the food chain by officials working for and on behalf of the Food Standards Agency performing meat inspections on red meat animals from 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2014 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain:  ConditionNumber of InstancesErysipelas in pigs22,731Actinobacillosis4,367Actinomycosis2,773 In 2015/16 the FSA, through consultation, with the Association of Meat Inspectors, meat hygiene inspectors, industry representatives, other Government departments, devolved administrations, academic organisations, internal and external veterinarians and others developed a more defined and actionable list of conditions surrounding animal health, public health and animal welfare.

Poultry Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) faecal contamination, (b) tumours, (c) egg impaction and (d) septiceamia and fever were identified by post-mortem inspection of poultry and prevented from entering the food chain from 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2013 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain: ConditionNumber of Instances1 Contamination13,379,989Tumours1,446,9712 Egg impaction*Not Specifically Recorded3 Septiceamia and fever17,346,319 Notes:1 The FSA does not separately record faecal contamination during post-mortem inspection. All types of contamination (faecal, grease, wool, hair etc) are recorded as contamination.2 With poultry, conditions identified at post-mortem inspection point that are not specifically recorded by name are recorded into the FSA CCIR IT system as either ‘Other Factory’ (processing) or ‘Other farm’ (for example jaundice, Oregon, white muscle).3 Septiceamia and fever are recorded as abnormal colour and are within the total figure of 17,346,319.

Poultry Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) cellulitis, (b) dermatitis, (c) ascites and (d) salpingitis were identified by post-mortem inspection of poultry and prevented from entering the food chain from 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2013 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain: ConditionNumber of InstancesCellulitis13,567,060Dermatitis1,656,566Ascites20,720,105Salpingitis637,150

Poultry Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) peritonitis, (b) hepatitis, (c) pericarditis and (d) aspergillosis were identified by post-mortem inspection of poultry and prevented from entering the food chain from 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2013 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain: ConditionNumber of InstancesPeritonitis7,206,870Hepatitis11,508,455Pericarditis6,538,354*Aspergillosis*Not Specifically Recorded Note:*With poultry, conditions identified at post-mortem inspection point that are not specifically recorded by name are recorded into the FSA Collection and Communication of Inspection Results IT system as either ‘Other Factory’ (processing) or ‘Other farm’ (for example jaundice, Oregon, white muscle).

Poultry Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) foot infections and (b) arthritis and joint problems were identified by post-mortem inspection of poultry and prevented from entering the food chain from 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2013 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain:  ConditionNumber of InstancesFoot infections2,938,204Arthritis and joint problem2,456,789

Poultry Meat: Inspections

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many instances of (a) air sacculitis, (b) Marek's disease, (c) White muscle disease and (d) Oregon disease were identified by post-mortem inspection of poultry and prevented from entering the food chain from 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds the following data. For the period 1 January 2013 – 31 March 2020 the following instances were identified at post-mortem and prevented from entering the food chain: ConditionNumber of InstancesAir sacculitis1,580,147*Marek's disease*4,210,460*White muscle disease*Oregon disease Note:*With poultry, conditions identified at post-mortem inspection point that are not specifically recorded by name are recorded into the FSA IT system as either ‘Other Factory’ (processing) or ‘Other Farm’ (for example jaundice, Oregon, white muscle). The total figure of 4,210,460 represents all ‘Other Farm’ conditions and includes the conditions Marek’s disease, White muscle disease and Oregon.

Pharmacy: Rural Areas

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the trends in the level of (a) closures and (b) reduction in the opening hours of rural pharmacies; and what assessment he has made of the effect on access to pharmacy services of reductions in the level of public transport services.

Jo Churchill: Whilst the Department does not track closures of rural pharmacies, we track the closure of those pharmacies that are more than a mile from their next nearest pharmacy. Since 2017, there have been 18, with no discernible trend in the closures. No assessment has been made of reduced opening hours or the effect of any reduction in public transport on access. NHS England and NHS Improvement closely monitor closures to ensure that National Health Service pharmaceutical services continue to be provided. Depending on the area, this maybe through other pharmacies that patients can access in the area, dispensing doctors and/or distance selling pharmacies.The Government also paid for a medicines delivery service for people while shielding and, during the peak of the pandemic, enabled pharmacies to close to the public for two hours a day to help deal with the increased number of telephone calls, for advice on health and medicines, from the public, who preferred not to visit the pharmacy in person.

General Practitioners: Training

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce a bursary scheme for people who train to be GP's and commit to a five year tenure in local surgeries.

Jo Churchill: We are considering a number of measures to increase the recruitment and retention of general practitioners (GPs) to deliver ourcommitment of 6,000 more doctors in general practice, but there are no current plans to introduce a bursary scheme for all people who train as GPs to commit to a five-year tenure in general practice.The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme (TERS) is an initiative that offers a one-off, salary supplement of £20,000 to GP trainees committed to working in a select number of training places in England that have been hard to recruit to for the past three years.Trainees receive the TERS payment once they have signed an agreement to complete the three-year placement, with no relocation option. Should a trainee leave training before completing the three-year placement, they are required to make a pro-rata repayment of the supplement.Further schemes that will support retention of early career GPs include the two-year Primary Care Fellowship Programme and the New to Partnership Payment, which will launch later in the year after a brief pause due to COVID-19. The New to Partnership Payment will offer new partners a £3,000 business training allowance and one-off payment of £20,000 to support their establishment as a new partner. NHS England and NHS Improvement envisage this loan will convert to a permanent payment after a minimum number of years of service. Further guidance will be published in due course.

Pharmacy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the pharmacy sector on enhancing the minor ailments scheme to utilise the skills and knowledge of pharmacists and reduce the pressure on GPs and A&E waiting times.

Jo Churchill: The five-year deal on the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF), published by the Department in July 2019 for England, sets out an expanded role for community pharmacy across prevention, urgent care and medicine safety. It will provide accessible and convenient healthcare, allowing people to quickly access a much wider range of services and health advice, in the heart of their community, reliving pressure on general practitioner (GP) practices and other parts of the health service, including accident and emergency services.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he has made an assessment of the prevalence of patients experiencing covid-19 symptoms for longer than three weeks.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



Public Health England has made no assessment of the prevalence of patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for longer than three weeks.

NHS Trusts: Maternity Services

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Trusts have provided standard-of-care access to all four birthing options during the covid-19 outbreak.

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Trusts in England have provided full standard-of-care access to all four birthing options as set out by NICE in each week since 1 March 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



This information is not currently held in the format requested.

Midwives

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) home birth services and (b) midwifery units temporarily closed after 1 March 2020; and on what date each of those units reopened.

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) home birth services and (b) midwifery units in England have been temporarily closed since 1 March 2020; for what period of time those services were closed; and how many have now reopened.

Ms Nadine Dorries: This information is not currently held in the format requested.

Russells Hall Hospital: Energy

Marco Longhi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to improve the energy rating of Russells Hall Hospital; and whether there are plans to install (a) solar panels and (b) wind turbines at that hospital.

Edward Argar: Russells Hall Hospital is owned and managed by Summit Healthcare (Dudley) Limited as part of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) established in 2001. Any decisions to invest in energy efficiency schemes in relation to the building are made by Summit Healthcare (Dudley) Limited. Summit Healthcare (Dudley) Limited would need to provide the investment and would benefit from any cost savings. The Trust does encourage all staff to reduce their energy usage wherever possible and they work with their PFI partners to ensure the use of the building is energy efficient.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June to Question 56054 on Coronavirus: disease control, for what reasons he has not made an assessment of the trends in the level of the potency of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England does not collect data on ‘potency’ as it is not a recognised scientific term/method for evaluating COVID-19 infection.

Healthy Start Scheme: Internet

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy for the Healthy Start voucher scheme to be available online as well as via a paper application form; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Government has been working to review the operation of the Healthy Start Scheme and is currently developing a digital approach, which will make it easier for families to apply for, receive and use their Healthy Start benefits.This involves developing and testing an online application form, to replace the paper form, and a pre-paid card to replace paper vouchers. We are using the experiences of families, healthcare professionals, local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and existing best practice to improve the Healthy Start scheme.

Coronavirus: Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the implications for Government policy of Queen Mary University's research on the biological link between air pollution and coronavirus.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effects of air pollution on people contracting covid-19.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report of the all-party group on air pollution entitled Air Quality Strategy to Reduce Coronavirus Infection published on 29 May 2020.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the United Kingdom and there is emerging evidence suggesting an association between exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality. However, many of the papers are, as yet, not peer-reviewed and are of variable quality.In April, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ independent Air Quality Expert Group, with input from the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, launched a call for evidence to help with assessing the impact of the pandemic and air quality. This work will be published in due course.The Department continues to have extensive discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other departments on the relationship between health and air quality.

Coronavirus: Patients

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2020 to Question 51929 on Coronavirus: Patients, what the process is for the management of the shielding list; whether the list is managed at (a) Government and (b) local authority level; and what criteria is used to remove people from that list.

Jo Churchill: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



The shielded patent list for England is a national database managed by NHS Digital. No deductions from the list have been made nationally. The decision to remove an individual patient from the list is normally made by that patient’s general practitioner or hospital doctor based on their clinical judgement and the criteria set out in the advice to clinically extremely vulnerable people at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19 Government advice is clear that the patient’s general practictioner or hospital doctor should discuss with the patient the decision to remove them from the list before they are removed.

Cholesterol: Screening

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients can access cholesterol checks (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: Cholesterol is tested as part of the NHS Health Check programme and will be available to eligible people once service delivery resumes. In addition to the NHS Health Check programme, those patients with medical conditions that require monitoring of cholesterol will have this done in the usual way through primary medical care services.

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measurable outcomes the NHS Health Check programme has delivered for cardiovascular disease patients.

Jo Churchill: An evidence synthesis commissioned by Public Health England in 2017 shows that higher levels of chronic kidney disease, hypertension, familial hypercholesterolaemia, peripheral vascular disease and type 2 diabetes are detected among people having an NHS Health Check compared to standard care. A small but significant subsequent decrease in stroke was also reported among NHS Health Check attendees as well as favourable changes in blood pressure, body mass index, and modelled cardiovascular risk. The report can be accessed at the following link: http://www.healthcheck.nhs.uk/seecmsfile/?id=306%5dPHE have been commissioned by the Department to deliver an evidence-based review of the NHS Health Check programme, to inform action which will ensure it remains fit for purpose for the next 10 years and beyond.

Pharmacy: Screening

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to empower community pharmacists to conduct NHS Health Checks as outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Jo Churchill: As part of their public health role, it is for local authorities to determine from whom they commission NHS Health Checks, including from community pharmacies. The Government has commissioned an evidence-based review of the NHS Health Check programme from Public Health England with a view to maximising its benefits, and this is expected to consider and make recommendations on issues such as mode of delivery and clinical follow-up. The NHS Long Term Plan recognised that “cardiovascular disease is the single biggest area where the NHS can save lives over the next 10 years”, principally through secondary prevention of heart attacks and strokes. NHS England is testing the most promising approaches, including through local pharmacies, for detecting hitherto undiagnosed high-risk conditions such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, and atrial fibrillation. The Healthy Living Pharmacy concept has provided an opportunity for community pharmacy teams, who represent the communities they serve, to focus on consistently delivering high quality health improvement interventions, including NHS Health Checks.

Health: Screening

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress  his Department has made on reviewing the NHS Health Check as outlined in the Prevention Green Paper published in 2019.

Jo Churchill: The NHS Health Check programme is playing an important role in tackling the burden of preventable diseases. Building on 10 years’ experience of the programme, the Government has commissioned Public Health England to undertake an evidence-based review of the NHS Health Check programme, in light of advances in medical and behavioural science; new digital technology, and opportunities for more innovative implementation. The Review is being led by University College London’s Professor John Deanfield, advised by an expert panel and informed by UK and international evidence. It will build on gains delivered so far and consider what action is needed to maximise impact over the next 10 years and beyond. The Review is expected to report by spring 2021.

Health

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish an updated version of the 22 July 2019 Green Paper entitled, Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s following the outcome of his recent consultation.

Jo Churchill: The Prevention Green Paper ‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’ consultation closed on 14 October 2019 and attracted over 1,600 responses. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the response has been delayed. We intend to publish the Government response in due course.

Gender Recognition: Mental Health Services

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the provision of mental health support for young people who identify as transgender.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Our NHS Long Term Plan ambitions for service transformation and expansion include that, by 2023/24, an additional 345,000 more children and young people should have access to National Health Service funded mental health support. This includes for young people who identify as transgender. The mental health support teams in and around schools, which we introduced through our children and young people’s mental health Green Paper, are part of this service expansion and transformation. As set out in the Plan, mental health support teams will receive information and training to help them support young people more likely to face mental health issues – such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender individuals.

Mental Health Services: Sutton Coldfield

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) average waiting times for therapeutic services for mental health conditions in Sutton Coldfield.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which covers the Sutton Coldfield area, reports that waiting times for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services remain above the national target for access. In quarter four of 2019/20 (the most recent published figures), across the CCG’s area, 94% of people received support within six weeks, against a national standard of 75%.

Mental Health Services: Schools

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We remain committed to investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year into mental health services by 2023-24 through the NHS Long Term Plan. This will see an additional 345,000 children and young people able to access support through National Health Service-funded services or school- and college-based mental health support teams.Mental health support teams, which we are introducing in line with our children and young people’s mental health Green Paper, are part of this service expansion and transformation. We remain committed to delivering the other core proposals of the Green Paper, which will pilot a four-week waiting time for specialist NHS services, so that there is swifter access to specialist NHS services.

Mental Illness: Coronavirus

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the additional funding required to support people with (a) long-term mental health conditions, (b) addictions and (c) adult safeguarding requirements as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Ms Nadine Dorries: As part of the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to transform mental health care, funding is expected to grow faster than total National Health Service spending every year, with investment at least £2.3 billion higher each year by 2023/24.For people with long-term mental health conditions, we have provided an additional £5 million of funding for mental health charities to support adults and children struggling with their mental wellbeing. In addition, the Government has announced a further £4.2 million to mental health charities as part of the Government’s United Kingdom-wide £750 million package of support for the voluntary sector.The Government has also made a total of £3.2 billion available to local authorities to help them respond to COVID-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including for addiction support, adult social care and safeguarding.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government's recent announcement that people at high risk from coronavirus will no longer be advised to shield from 1 August 2020, if he will make it his policy to issue personalised information to those people on the levels of (a) their personal risk and (b) the risks of different activities that they may undertake.

Jo Churchill: The National Health Service has asked service providers, including general practitioners (GPs), to undertake a series of actions to support people who have been asked to shield. This includes ensuring every shielding individual has a named care coordinator to help them with their healthcare and any changing or emerging health needs. People should continue to talk to their GP if they have concerns about their ongoing treatment. National advice to clinically extremely vulnerable people who are shielding is set out at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Children: Obesity

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for a rise in childhood obesity as a result of inactivity during the covid-19 lockdown; and what steps he will take to tackle that issue.

Jo Churchill: While schools have been closed to some pupils the Government has taken steps to support those who have had restricted opportunity to exercise while at home. As part of its guidance on remote education provision the Government has published online educational resources approved by subject experts for schools and parents to help children to take part in PE and physical activity. In addition, Sport England have free online content to help children and their families get active at home through their Join the Movement campaign. The Change4Life website also includes information on how to keep children active, including links to online resources and providers, such as games and activities, as well as advice for accessible activities for disabled children and is available at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/activities The Government is working to ensure that schools are fully supported as they welcome more children back to school and schools are able to give pupils opportunities to be physically active during the school day. Many of the measures in the three chapters of the childhood obesity plan will have an impact on tackling obesity. These include the soft drinks industry levy, sugar reduction and wider calorie reformulation programme, restricting promotions and calorie labelling in restaurants which will improve children’s eating habits and reduce the amount of sugar they consume.We remain committed to reviewing what more can be done and will continue to monitor progress and emerging evidence.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many companies have been sub-contracted by Serco to undertake covid-19 contact tracing work; and what proportion of the total contract that represents.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 29 June 2020



In its role as a prime contractor for the provision of Tier 3 Tracing Agents and in accordance with the agreed delivery model, Serco has subcontracted the provision of approximately 9,000 staff, of the overall Serco allocation of 10,500 staff, to a panel of 29 subcontractors.

Domestic Abuse: LGBT People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the effect on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people living in abusive households during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Mental health services have remained open for business throughout, and NHS England and NHS Improvement has asked mental health trusts to ensure they have 24 hours a day, seven days a week open access telephone lines in place for urgent National Health Service mental health support, advice and triage. We provided £5 million to Mind and the Mental Health Consortia to administer a Coronavirus Mental Health Response Fund. It complements NHS services and support for those struggling with their mental health, including vulnerable people such as survivors of domestic abuse. We also announced a further £4.2 million to support mental health charities as part of our United Kingdom-wide £750 million package of support for the voluntary sector. This package also includes £76 million of funding to support survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and modern slavery as well as ensuring that vulnerable children and young people continue to get the help they need.

Pathology: Digital Technology

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the level of digital pathology in the NHS.

Ms Nadine Dorries: NHSX and NHS Digital have an existing workstream for digital pathology. This work was delayed in order to divert resources to support the COVID-19 pandemic, including working with pathology systems in the collection of virus and antibody test results. As we move back to focus on core activities, digital pathology work will resume. NHSX will be working with the pathology community to develop a digital pathology strategy which will cover updates to coding and messaging standards as well as the ability to view results across the National Health Service.

Contact Tracing: Fraud

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the test and trace service is not subject to (a) fraud and (b) deliberate false reporting.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Government launched its new NHS Test and Trace service on 28 May 2020 to control the rate of reproduction (R), reduce the spread of the virus and save lives.NHS Test and Trace has been developed to Government security standards and we have been advised on measures to keep the public safe. Data on positive laboratory tests is fed into the contact tracing system, which automatically contacts people with COVID-19 by text or email and invites them to log into the system with a set of unique characters alongside a secure link to the site. For those people that are unable to respond via email or text, perhaps because they do not have those options available to them, a phone-based service will contact them and support them through the process.The Test and Trace service will not ask for bank details or payments, nor will anyone be asked for details of their social media or any pin numbers or be asked to call a premium rate number. If the public are concerned about whether a call or email they receive comes from NHS Test and Trace service they can visit GOV.UK and view a page which lists the official phone numbers used by this service. Anyone who thinks they have been sent a scam message, is encouraged to report it to Action Fraud.We will be constantly developing and improving the system and ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent misuse. We have confidence in the public to act responsibly and participate fully and openly in NHS Test and Trace, to protect others and save lives.

Contact Tracing: Computer Software

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons contracts #12 and #13 pertaining to the NHS X contact tracing app have not yet been published; and when he plans to publish those contracts.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 30 June 2020



The Department only publishes contracts that exceed £10,000 in value. Contract #12 has no financial value and therefore will not be published. Contract #13 is for Programme Management Support for the development of the National Health Service COVID-19 app provided by Accenture. Details will be published this week.

Postnatal Care: Mental Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the age adjusted access rate for perinatal mental health beds per 100,000 population is in each (a) Clinical Commissioning Group and (b) local authority area for the latest period for which figures are available..

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 30 June 2020



Mother and baby unit admissions data is available by the patient’s originating clinical commissioning group (CCG). The number of admissions per CCG falls below the level that would be reported and the data are thereby suppressed under the disclosure controls applied to the data.The information is not held at local authority level.

Contact Tracing: Singapore

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with his Singaporean counterpart on that country's track and trace covid-19 app; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Our response to this virus has and will continue to be as part of an international effort. We have been in frequent contact with a number of countries, including Singapore, to share what we are learning and that will continue.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to use the Nightingale units to help hospitals restore (a) elective surgery and (b) other services that have been impeded by the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: The Nightingale hospitals were built primarily for ventilated COVID-19 patients or COVID-19 step down patients and currently do not have operating theatres or other standard facilities required for elective surgery. Regions and host trusts are now considering future use and the Nightingales will be an important part of ensuring the National Health Service has enough beds to cope over the next period.

Midwives: Coronavirus

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) home birth services and (b) midwifery units temporarily closed between 1 March 2020 to date due to the covid-19 outbreak; for how long each such service was closed; and how many of those services have since reopened.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



This information is not currently held in the format requested.

Autism: Suicide

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 285039, what steps his Department is taking to reduce instances of suicide amongst people with autism.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



The fourth progress report of the cross-Government suicide prevention strategy recognises autistic people as a high-risk group, and the NHS Long Term Plan reaffirms the National Health Service’s commitment to make suicide prevention a priority over the next decade. This Plan will see investment in all areas of the country by 2023/24 to support local suicide prevention plans and establish suicide bereavement support services. We are also revisiting the work to refresh the autism strategy, working closely with the Department for Education and other Government departments. As part of this work and as a key priority, we will consider what further action can be taken to support autistic children and young people to maintain good mental health and to prevent instances of suicide.

Veterans: Coronavirus

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the health of veterans.

Ms Nadine Dorries: In June, the Office of Veterans Affairs announced a study with King’s College London to understand the effect of COVID-19 on former service personnel.The study will look at whether COVID-19 has had any specific impact on the veteran community in the United Kingdom. This will allow policy makers across Government to understand potential issues affecting veterans and respond accordingly based on expert advice and evidence.The first results are expected to be published in autumn/winter 2020.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the child and adolescent mental health services budget was allocated for service provision for (a) children under the age of 10 (b) children under the age of 5 in each year since 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nadine Dorries: This information is not held at this level of granularity. National Health Service commissioning organisations are responsible for deciding what funding is allocated to specific services.

Death Certificates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the reintroduction of the certification of death processes as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



The Coronavirus Act 2020 was designed to support public services in dealing with the effects of the pandemic as well as directly tackling it. We will keep those elements of the Act that continue to be necessary – either currently or where future risks still exist. The necessity of maintaining any temporary provision will need to be judged by its effectiveness in meeting its policy objective. The Government will set out the details of such assessments in the six month report due in September (subject to the Parliamentary calendar). These assessments will of course be guided by the scientific advice we receive.

Mental Health Services: Schools

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate capacity of mental health services in schools for the start of the next academic year.

Ms Nadine Dorries: We are implementing the core proposals in our response to the consultation ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision’ Green Paper including, where possible, adapting the support made available during the COVID-19 outbreak to the circumstances that schools and colleges and children and young people will face once the new academic year starts.Where in place, new services such as mental health support teams, working alongside established services across health, education, children’s services and voluntary sector, will provide important support to children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues.

Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust Independent Review

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date he plans to lay before Parliament the Liverpool Community Health independent investigation terms of reference.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 06 July 2020



The Terms of Reference for the Liverpool Community Health Independent Investigation have been agreed and will be published shortly.

Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust Independent Review

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) start date is and (b) panel members are for the independent investigation into Liverpool Community Health.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Holding answer received on 06 July 2020



The Liverpool Community Health Investigation was launched in June 2019 and work has begun. The Inquiry comprises three Stages. Stage 1 covered the scale of the issues and Stage 2 was a clinical and structured judgement review alongside Stage 1. Work on Stages 1 and 2 was completed in August 2019. Stage 3 will investigate individual serious patient safety incidents identified from the previous two stages to establish the nature and scale of deaths and patient harm at the Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust from 2010 to 2014. The Investigation has identified a number of expert advisors to assist the Chairman and details will be confirmed when the Terms of Reference covering Stage 3 are published in Parliament.

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of babies born from 1 March 2020 that tested positive for covid-19 were from a BAME background.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Complementary Medicine: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for reopening (a) alternative and (b) complementary medicine practices during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many requests for coronavirus tests were made to the (a) NHS website and (b) 111 phone line in June 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 20 of the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24, whether baselines on access to mental health services for 18 to 25 year olds have been validated and published.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Question 60779 submitted on 17 June 2020, when he plans to respond to Question 38603 tabled on 21 April 2020 by the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Question 60786 submitted on 17 June 2020, when he plans to respond to Question 43967 tabled on 6 May 2020 by the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government: Coronavirus

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the £300 million provided to help local authorities deal with local lockdowns has been allocated; and which local authorities have received that funding.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Exercise Cygnus

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a Pandemic Concept of Operations was produced following Exercise Cygnus.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Exercise Cygnus

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who the members of the Steering Group were which was to oversee the overall strategic direction of the 2016 Exercise Cygnus.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Exercise Cygnus

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who the members of the National Planning Team were with responsibility for managing the development and delivery of Exercise Cygnus.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Protective Clothing

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value was of his Department’s stockpile of personal protective equipment in each year since 2010.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Emergencies: Planning

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on civil contingencies preparedness in each year since 2010.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Emergencies: Planning

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much Public Health England has spent on civil contingencies preparedness in each year since 2010.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Question 60787 tabled on 17 June 2020, when he plans to respond to Question 48496 tabled on 18 May 2020 by the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Question 60788 tabled on 17 June 2020, when he plans to respond to Question 49034 tabled on 19 May 2020 by the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2020 to Question 60789 on  Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions, when he plans to respond to Question 52107 tabled on 25 May 2020 by the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tobacco: Sales

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that tobacco companies are complying with the prohibition on the sale of menthol cigarettes under the EU Revised Tobacco Products Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Emergencies: Planning

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last reviewed its contingency plans for dealing with (a) coronaviruses, (b) emerging infectious diseases and (c) acute respiratory syndromes.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Emergencies: Planning

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last reviewed its contingency plans for dealing with (a) coronaviruses, (b) emerging infectious diseases and (c) acute respiratory syndromes.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timescale is for the national sexual health and reproductive health strategy.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the national sexual health and reproductive health strategy.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Emergencies: Planning

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, published in 2015, when planning related to SARS was last reviewed.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hyperactivity: Mental Health Services

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of adult ADHD services.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hyperactivity: Mental Health Services

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase access to adult ADHD services.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64205 on Department for International Development: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what estimate she has made of the effect on the number of staff currently employed by each Department of the merger of those Departments.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Merging the Departments will mean changes for how teams are structured. Some roles and responsibilities will change, and we will be working this through over the next few months. It is too early to be able to estimate the impact on staff numbers. We can confirm that there will be no compulsory redundancies for DFID employees as a result of the decision to create the new Department and any changes will be handled in accordance with relevant civil service policy and guidance.

Department for International Development: East Kilbride

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2020 to Question 59888, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on staffing numbers in East Kilbride of the planned merger between her Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: DFID’s existing office in East Kilbride will become part of the new Department’s estate. Some roles in East Kilbride may change due to business needs and any changes will be handled in compliance with relevant civil service policy and guidance. It is too early to be able to say precisely what effect those changes will be. We can confirm that there will be no compulsory redundancies for DFID employees as a result of the decision to create the new Department and any changes will be handled in accordance with relevant civil service policy and guidance.

Overseas Aid

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has allocated funding from the 2020-21 (a) central contingency budget and (b) Official Development Assistance crisis reserve budget.

Wendy Morton: DFID do not hold a central contingency budget and have not requested any funding from the central exchequer reserve held by HM Treasury.The UK ODA Crisis Reserve is an annual allocation of £500 million. This consists of a £200 million un-allocated reserve and a £300 million re-deployable reserve. This enables ﬂexible, quick and effective cross government responses to crises as they happen as set out in the UK Aid Strategy published in 2015. We do not report on expenditure drawn down from the ODA Crisis Reserve.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the planned level of promissory note issuance was, by institution, in (a) calendar year 2020 and (b) financial year 2020-21 at the Main Estimates stage.

Wendy Morton: DFID uses promissory notes with organisations such as international development banks. A promissory note allows that organisation to commit to an activity in full, in advance of funding being transferred.DFID’s made no adjustment at Main Estimates 2020-21 to the Net Cash Requirement as a result of Promissory Notes.

Overseas Aid: Coronavirus

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the (a) current position and (b) provisional outcome is of her Department’s gold, silver and bronze grading of projects in response to the covid-19 pandemic.

Wendy Morton: All government departments are considering how their plans need to change in light of the risk of a recession linked to the impact of COVID-19. DFID is working with the FCO and other ODA spending departments to assess how to manage the 0.7% commitment this year. No decision has been taken, but we are considering the full range of our work.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget (a) reprofiling, (b) repurposing and (c) additional allocations for 2020-21 have already taken place in relation to each regional programme in each country office.

Wendy Morton: DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts is due to be published on 14 July and will set out baseline programme budgets for 2020/21 spend by DFID spending unit.DFID is working with the FCO and other ODA spending departments to assess how to manage the 0.7% commitment this year, in light of the risk of a fall in Gross National Income. No decision has been taken, but we are considering the full range of our work.

Overseas Aid

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the most recent funding allocations are for the (a) central contingency and (b) portfolio components of the 2020-21 Crisis Reserve.

Wendy Morton: DFID do not hold a central contingency budget and have not requested any funding from the central exchequer reserve held by HM Treasury.The UK ODA Crisis Reserve is an annual allocation of £500 million. This consists of a £200 million un-allocated reserve and a £300 million re-deployable reserve. This enables ﬂexible, quick and effective cross government responses to crises as they happen as set out in the UK Aid Strategy published in 2015. We do not report on expenditure drawn down from the ODA Crisis Reserve.

CDC: Fossil Fuels

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the CDC Group has invested in fossil fuel projects in each of the last three years.

James Duddridge: Since 2017, CDC has made new direct commitments to fossil fuel projects totalling $207.4 million ($84.8 million in 2017; $0 million in 2018; $122.6 million in 2019). During the same period CDC has made over $1 billion of commitments into climate related investments including renewable power, forestry and resource efficiency projects.Last week, CDC published an ambitious Climate Strategy, which sets out a comprehensive approach to align all of CDC’s investing activities with the Paris Agreement, based on the core principles of reaching net zero by 2050, enabling a just transition and strengthening adaptation and resilience.CDC is committed to Paris Alignment including net zero emissions by 2050 and will not make new investments in any business – either directly or through an intermediary fund – that is deemed to be misaligned with the Paris Agreement. CDC is targeting 30% of total investments to be committed to climate finance in 2021.More information here: https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/news-insight/news/cdc-group-unveils-commitment-to-become-aligned-to-the-paris-agreement/.

Overseas Aid: Religious Discrimination

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities are not discriminated against during the distribution of UK aid.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government works to ensure that Christian and other religious minorities are not discriminated against during the distribution of UK aid.The UK is committed to delivering its aid according to internationally recognised humanitarian principles. These principles ensure that humanitarian assistance is delivered to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance. This includes vulnerable religious minorities.Vulnerable religious minority groups will experience crises such as COVID-19 outbreaks differently. Crises are likely to reinforce their marginalised position in society, their experience of discrimination, violence and stigma, and further limit their access to essential support and services. For this reason, guidance was circulated across DFID highlighting that inclusion must be central to our response and the specific contexts and needs of vulnerable religious communities and other vulnerable groups should be taken into account when developing practical programmes of assistance.On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable to hear from faith leaders and faith-based development organisations about the specific challenges minority faith communities are facing during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Overseas Aid: Poverty

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department's spending on poverty relief includes (a) Christians and (b) other religious minorities who are persecuted for their faith.

Nigel Adams: The UK Government works to ensure that all aid reaches the most vulnerable including those from Christian and other religious minorities who are persecuted for their faith.The UK is committed to delivering its humanitarian aid according to internationally recognised humanitarian principles. These principles ensure that humanitarian assistance is delivered to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance. This includes vulnerable religious minorities.DFID’s use of country context analysis has increased the extent to which religious dynamics and religious groups are factored into all of our country programmes. DFID undertakes interdisciplinary analysis of a country’s politics, society, state and economy to identify the most significant problems that hinder development and the main entry points and opportunities to create change. There is a strong emphasis on how politics, security, and demographics interact with economic growth and human development. This includes the role of religion and the persecution of religious minorities.Vulnerable religious minority groups will experience crises such as COVID-19 outbreaks differently. Crises are likely to reinforce their marginalised position in society, their experience of discrimination, violence and stigma, and further limit their access to essential support and services. For this reason, guidance was circulated across DFID highlighting that inclusion must be central to our response and the specific contexts and needs of vulnerable religious communities and other vulnerable groups should be taken into account when developing practical programmes of assistance.On 8 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, hosted a roundtable to hear from faith leaders and faith-based development organisations about the specific challenges minority faith communities are facing during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Department for Education

Headteachers: Ethnic Groups

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school head teachers in the state-funded sector identify as non-white.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of ethnic minority headteachers in state funded primary and secondary schools in England as of November 2019 is available here:https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/42308de0-93ca-405d-854b-8a23c70b6c64.Please note: Ethnic Minority includes all ethnic groups apart from White British.

Higher Edcuation: Coronavirus

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the level of evidence a student is required to provide to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education in the event that that student is dissatisfied with the level of education that their university has provided during the covid-19 outbreak.

Michelle Donelan: The statutory independent student complaints scheme for higher education is run by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). The scheme, guidance for students and the level of evidence has not changed during the COVID-19 outbreak. Students are still expected to raise formal complaints with their own university in the first instance, and if those cannot be resolved, students can approach the OIA. The OIA website outlines the process and the information required to submit a complaint: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/students/how-to-complain-to-us/.On 22 June, the OIA published specific guidance outlining its approach to handling complaints that arose from the COVID-19 outbreak, including complaints on course delivery. The OIA will take a number of issues into account when considering a complaint and will consider what was promised against what was delivered. The OIA will also take into account the relevant legislation and related guidance (such as that published by the Competition and Markets Authority), and whether the higher education provider has been fair and reasonable in developing its policies.The guidance is available at: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/resources-and-publications/latest-news-and-updates/oia-briefing-note-2-our-approach-to-complaints-arising-from-the-effects-of-coronavirus-covid-19-june-202/.There are some issues that the OIA is unable to consider. These issues include matters relating to admissions and academic judgement. Guidance on the issues that the OIA can consider is available at: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/students/can-you-complain-to-us/.

Assessments: Coronavirus

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 41160 on Assessments: Coronavirus, if he will publish the feedback from stakeholders on the range of options available to his Department on the Reception Baseline Assessment.

Nick Gibb: The Department has listened to the feedback from stakeholders about the difficult circumstances faced by schools in the context of COVID-19 and the particular impact this has had on schools preparedness for the implementation of the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) in September 2020.Taking into account that feedback, the Department has confirmed that the statutory implementation of the RBA will be postponed until autumn 2021. Instead, schools have the option of taking part in the RBA early adopter year and can sign up to participate via a survey sent to all eligible schools. The Department remains committed to implementing the RBA.

Schools: Coronavirus

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on reducing air pollution around schools, to help protect (a) teaching staff and (b) children attending schools during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities are responsible for the mitigation of air pollution hot spots in areas where people may be exposed, including schools. They have discretionary powers to take action to improve local air quality. For example, they can issue fixed penalty notices to drivers leaving engines running unnecessarily after being asked to turn them off. In areas with poor air quality, local authorities have a statutory duty to publish air quality plans for reducing air pollution. Local authorities also have a statutory duty to promote sustainable school travel. The department’s guidance sets out that this duty should have a broad impact, including improvements in air quality to which children are particularly vulnerable. Government advice, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak, is to walk or cycle to school where possible. The Department for Transport’s cycling and walking investment strategy sets out the government’s ambition to make cycling and walking the natural choice for shorter journeys, or as part of a longer journey. Details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-investment-strategy.On 9 May the Department for Transport announced a £2 billion package to promote cycling and walking:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/2-billion-package-to-create-new-era-for-cycling-and-walking.

Schools: Coronavirus

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the risk from schools fully reopening of a small chain of covid-19 infection in schools leading to a wider outbreak; and if he will publish the advice he has received from SAGE on that matter.

Nick Gibb: We want to get more children back to school because it is vital for their education and their wellbeing. As such the Government has announced that all children will return to school from September.On 2 July we published guidance to help schools plan for a full return of all pupils in the Autumn term:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schoolsThe measures set out in this guidance provide a framework for head teachers to put in place proportionate protective measures for children and staff, which also ensure that all pupils receive a high quality education that enables them to thrive and progress. In welcoming all children back this Autumn, schools will be asked to minimise the number of contacts that a pupil has during the school day as part of implementing the system of controls outlined in the guidance to reduce the risk of transmission. If schools follow the guidance set out, they can be confident they are managing risk effectively.The guidance also includes the process that should be followed if anyone develops COVID-19 symptoms while at school. This guidance has been developed with advice from, and is endorsed by, Public Health England.SAGE publish papers from their meetings on a regular basis on the SAGE website. The list of papers released to date is available by following the link below, including several schools-related papers. This list will be updated to reflect papers considered at future meetings:https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to ensure that children who become eligible for free school meals over the summer holidays 2020 have access to food.

Vicky Ford: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 June 2020 to Question 60716.

National Retraining Scheme

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the test phase of the National Retraining Programme, announced in October 2019.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on the National Retraining Scheme to date.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many adults has the National Retraining Scheme helped to retrain to date in England.

Gillian Keegan: The aim of the National Retraining Scheme is to help prepare adults for future changes to the economy, including those brought about by automation, and help them retrain into better jobs. We have taken a user centred, test and learn approach to developing the National Retraining Scheme, starting small and developing products iteratively. Through this approach we have used a small proportion of the initial multi-year £100 million investment which started in financial year 2019-20 to develop the scheme, including exploring online training and in-work technical training alongside testing the first part of the scheme, Get Help to Retrain. To date, nearly 2000 users have accessed Get Help to Retrain. The digital service helps users to understand their current skills, explore alternative occupations that they could do and sign up to the training they need to access opportunities for a broad range of good jobs. Alongside developing Get Help to Retrain, we have undertaken extensive user research and testing whilst developing the National Retraining Scheme. This research and the pilots we have conducted will provide valuable evidence about how we can support adults and employers and will help inform the design of future adult skills provision. We are continuing to explore the relationship between the National Retraining Scheme, the recently announced £2.5 billion National Skills Fund and other recent reforms to adult skills provision and funding. We will provide a further update in the next Spending Review.

History: Curriculum

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to include Black British history in the national curriculum for primary and secondary school pupils.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to an inclusive education system which recognises and embraces diversity and supports all pupils and students to tackle racism and have the knowledge and tools to do so. The national curriculum is a framework setting out the content of what the Department expects schools to cover in each subject. The curriculum does not set out how curriculum subjects, or topics within the subjects, should be taught. The Department believes teachers should be able to use their own knowledge and expertise to determine how they teach their pupils, and to make choices about what they teach. As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, pupils should be taught about different societies, and how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain, and this can include the voices and experience of Black people. The flexibility within the history curriculum means that Black British history can already be included in the teaching of the curriculum. For example, at key stage 1, schools can teach about the lives of key Black historical figures such as Mary Seacole or others; at key stage 2, pupils can be taught about Black Romans, as part of teaching that era in history or Black history within the requirement for a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066; and at key stage 3, we give an example for a more in-depth study on the topic of the impact through time of the migration of people to, from and within the British Isles, and this key stage can include the development and end of the British Empire and Britain’s transatlantic slave trade, its effects and its eventual abolition. Additionally, local history is an element across key stages. The teaching of Black history need not be limited to these examples.

Schools: Finance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government's announcement on additional funding for school building repairs, if he will prioritise the upgrading of school changing rooms and sporting facilities (a) throughout England and (b) in Highgate Wood School in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency when allocating that funding.

Nick Gibb: We are providing £560 million of additional condition funding for the school system this year to support essential maintenance projects. This comes on top of over £1.4 billion capital funding already provided for school maintenance in the financial year 2020-21. We will set out details of how the additional capital funding will be allocated shortly. As part of the condition funding already allocated this year, Highgate Wood Secondary School received £29,239 in Devolved Formula Capital funding to spend on its own capital priorities. Haringey local authority has also been allocated a School Condition Allocation of £2,959,147 to invest in condition priorities across its maintained schools, including Highgate Wood Secondary School. The school should discuss its needs with Haringey Council, so that they can be considered as part of local investment decisions.

Summer Schools: Coronavirus

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance the Government has provided to local authorities on summer school provision during the covid-19 outbreak for children of (a) key-workers, (b) low-income families and (c) all children.

Nick Gibb: Holiday clubs and out-of-school clubs for children will be able to restart over the summer, with safety measures in place. These clubs will be part of Step 3 of the recovery strategy (from 4 July). We have provided guidance for the sector on how to implement the protective measures necessary to minimise the risk to children, teachers and parents who attend their schools by reducing the risk of infection and transmission of COVID-19, as well as advice to parents and carers on the precautions they should be taking if they are thinking of sending their child to any provision over the summer period.Whilst we are not asking schools to open over the summer holidays and there is not the expectation that schools should open for vulnerable children and children of critical workers over this period, we are aware that some headteachers may be considering using their catch-up premium to provide summer school activities for their pupils. Where this is the case, they have the flexibility, discretion and autonomy to decide how they want to do this. To support schools in planning how to use the catch-up premium, the Education Endowment Foundation has produced a guide which includes advice on summer schools and contains a link to a Teach First toolkit specifically focused on summer schools.On 22 June, we also announced the 17 local authority areas that our Holiday Activities and Food programme will operate in this summer, providing thousands of disadvantaged children with access to healthy meals and holiday activities.

Schools: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the average number of days that children currently eligible to attend school have attended n (a) nursery, (b) reception, (c) year 1, (d) year 6, (e) year 10 and (f) year 12 in (i) York and (ii) in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: While the Department does collect attendance information, we are not able to estimate the requested numbers based on information that is held. The latest attendance figures for schools in England can be found at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

Education: Coronavirus

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 lockdown on BAME families with children accessing their education from home.

Nick Gibb: The Government has committed over £100 million to support remote education in England. The Department has published a comprehensive range of guidance to support schools during this time. This includes a list of quality resources, and case studies of remote education practice. The Oak National Academy was launched on Monday 20 April. It is a new enterprise that has been created by 100 teachers from schools across England. It is providing at least 180 video lessons for free each week, across a broad range of subjects, for every year group from Reception through to Year 10. The BBC has developed a comprehensive new education package, including wellbeing content, available on TV, via the red button and iPlayer and online at BBC Bitesize. Schools can also apply for Government-funded support to access one of two free-to-use digital education platforms to enable online teaching such as, G Suite for Education or Office 365 Education. To ensure all children benefit from these resources, we are providing laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers to vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people that do not already have a digital device or internet access. As of the end of June, over 202,000 laptops and tablets and over 47,000 4G wireless routers have been delivered to local authorities and academy trusts for distribution to the children and young people that need them. The Department has launched a service to provide children and young people free access to BT Wi-Fi hotspots. 10,000 families will initially be able to access the scheme. This offer is currently being piloted and will be rolled out across England in the coming months. We are currently working with BT to expand this offer to allow more children to access the internet through their network of BT Wi-Fi hotspots. The Department has launched a service to provide children and young people free access to BT Wi-Fi hotspots. 10,000 families will initially be able to access the scheme. This offer is currently being piloted and will be rolled out across England in the coming months. We are currently working with BT to expand this offer to allow more children to access the internet through their network of BT Wi-Fi hotspots.

Education and Social Services: Coronavirus

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many disadvantaged families, children and young people have taken receipt from the Government's scheme of (a) computer devices and (b) 4G wireless routers to engage in remote education and social care services in each region.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many disadvantaged families, children and young people have been identified as eligible for (a) computer devices and (b) 4G wireless routers under the Government scheme to engage them in remote education and social care services during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: The Government is providing laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and children in year 10 do not have internet connections, the Government is providing 4G wireless routers.The Department of Education has ordered over 200,000 laptops and tablets and 50,000 4G wireless routers. Computer devices have been allocated to local authorities and academy trusts based on the Department’s estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device. Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify children and young people who need devices and prioritise their needs.The Department has published information about how many laptops, tablets and 4G wireless routers have been delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts in total, which can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-progress-data.As of the end of June, over 202,000 laptops and tablets and over 47,000 4G wireless routers have been delivered or dispatched to local authorities and academy trusts.

Health Professions: Training

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reimbursing tuition fees for the spring 2020 term for nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare students.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) nursing, (b) midwifery and (c) healthcare students are reimbursed their tuition fees for the 2019-20 academic year.

Michelle Donelan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 July 2020 to Question 63492.

Schools: Coronavirus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Answer to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish in the oral statement on Education settings: Autumn opening on 2 July 2020 and his Department's document, Guidance for full opening - schools, published on 2 July 2020, what funding will be made available to schools that will be required to make significant adaptations to their site to enable the safe return of all pupils in September.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much additional funding he plans to allocate to provide additional teaching staff to schools from September 2020.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much additional funding he plans to allocate to ensure that schools are able to make sufficient adaptations to ensure compliance with Government guidance on covid-19 in relation to the re-opening of schools in September 2020.

Nick Gibb: The Government intends all pupils, in all year groups, to return to school full-time from the beginning of the autumn term. On 2 July we published guidance to help schools prepare for this. The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.As stated in our guidance, schools should use their existing resources when making arrangements to welcome all children back for the autumn. There are no plans at present to reimburse additional costs incurred as part of that process.Schools have been able to claim additional funding for exceptional costs incurred due to COVID-19, between March and July 2020, such as additional cleaning required due to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases and increased premises costs to keep schools open for priority groups during the Easter and summer half term holidays. Schools have also continued to receive their core funding allocations throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. Following last year’s Spending Round, school budgets are rising by £2.6 billion in 2020-21, £4.8 billion in 2021-22 and £7.1 billion in 2022-23, compared to 2019-20.

Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education,  what discussions he has had with Edenred on providing technical support to families trying to access and use vouchers for the Covid Summer Food Fund throughout the summer holidays.

Vicky Ford: Provision for free school meals is ordinarily term time only. However, owing to the COVID-19 outbreak the government understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this, we will be providing additional funding for a COVID Summer Food Fund which will enable families with children who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals to receive food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period. Our guidance on the COVID Summer Food Fund is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-summer-food-fund.Through the COVID Summer Food Fund, schools can support eligible pupils with a £90 voucher to cover the six-week holiday period. Schools must order the vouchers at least one week before their school term ends, and they will be issued to families within 7 days. This is in recognition that school offices will be closed in the summer holidays. If a school receives a claim for an eligible child during the final week before the school’s summer holidays, it will be possible for the school to place an exceptional order for that child via our supplier Edenred.Customer service support will continue to be available throughout the summer holidays.

British National (Overseas): Students

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to ensure that dependents accepted under the proposed bespoke immigration route for British Nationals (Overseas) passport holders from Hong Kong will be treated as home students for the purpose of tuition fees.

Michelle Donelan: To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or a recognised connection to the UK. This includes those who are covered by EU law, have long residence in this country or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK.Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, British Nationals (Overseas) status holders will be able to qualify for home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK. The same applies to their dependants.

Schools: Bullying and Racial Harassment

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of racist harassment and bullying in schools.

Vicky Ford: Racism in all its forms is abhorrent and has no place in our society. Schools play a crucial role in helping young people understand the world around them and their place within it. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying and they have the freedom to develop their own anti-bulling strategies and monitoring approaches to best suit their environment.Our guidance on preventing and tackling bullying (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying) sets out that schools should develop a consistent approach to monitoring bullying incidents and evaluating the effectiveness of their approaches. It also directs schools to organisations who can provide support with tackling bullying related to race, religion and nationality.The department asks teachers about the prevalence of different types of bullying in its regular school snapshot surveys. The latest survey is from July 2019: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-snapshot-survey-summer-2019. This survey suggests that, over the previous 12 months, 56% of school leaders and teachers had ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ seen any of the types of bullying mentioned. 18% reported seeing bullying linked to race and ethnicity ‘sometimes’ or more often.On 7 June, we announced more than £750,000 for the Diana Award, the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the Anne Frank Trust in order to help hundreds of schools and colleges build relationships between pupils and to increase their resilience as well as to continue to tackle bullying both in person and online (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/extra-mental-health-support-for-pupils-and-teachers). The department has also made resources available through the website Educate Against Hate (https://educateagainsthate.com/). This website provides teachers, school leaders and parents with the information, guidance and support that they need to challenge radical views, including racist and discriminatory beliefs.

Education: Standards

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the educational attainment gap between pupils of different (a) ethnic and (b) socio-economic backgrounds.

Vicky Ford: The department publishes an analysis of pupil performance at the key stage 2 and key stage 4 assessment points each year.These analyses show that attainment at the end of key stage 2 varies between different ethnic groups. Consistent with previous years, Chinese pupils were the highest achieving group in 2019, with 80% of Chinese pupils reaching the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths, which is 15 percentage points above the national average. The pattern of attainment across the ethnic major groups has remained largely the same compared to the previous years. Chinese pupils were the highest attaining ethnic group, while black pupils and white pupils were the lowest attaining ethnic groups. At the end of key stage 4, as in 2018, Chinese, mixed and Asian pupils had Attainment 8 scores above the national average (46.7 in 2019). Average Attainment 8 scores for white pupils and black pupils both remained below the national average. The latest key stage 2 analysis is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-key-stage-2-2019-revised.The latest key stage 4 analysis is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-performance-2019-revised.

Prime Minister

Dominic Cummings

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Prime Minister, how much correspondence he received on his Special Adviser Mr Dominic Cummings in each month of 2020.

Boris Johnson: This information is not centrally held, and would incur disproportionate cost to collate. My office receives over 3,000 letters and emails every week covering a broad spectrum of issues.

Department for International Trade

Riot Control Weapons: Chile

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she has taken to prevent the export of UK-manufactured crowd-control (a) equipment and (b) arms being used for internal repression in Chile.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: I have been sorry to see the unrest on the streets of Santiago. Arms and certain crowd control equipment require an export licence. I can assure that Hon. Gentleman that all export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the ‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade (DIT) receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of exporting any items. Assessments under Criterion 2 in particular, include the respect of rights and freedoms in the country of final destination. A licence will not be issued if to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, including where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression. We continue to global monitor developments closely and are able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require, in line with the Consolidated Criteria.

Renewable Energy: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 63402 on Renewable Energy: Exports, how much funding his Department has provided to support renewable energy exports from Scotland.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade has supported exports from the renewable energy sector across the UK since its inception, including in the UK’s strengths in offshore wind, smart energy systems, low-carbon advisory services and energy from waste. DIT’s remit spans across the entirety of the UK and the department does not directly fund additional trade promotion activity by the Devolved Administrations. The Department works closely with the Scottish enterprise agencies, who are funded by the Scottish Government, to support their energy export ambitions.

Renewable Energy: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 63402, how many renewable energy export projects from Scotland her Department has supported; and if she will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade supports businesses from across the UK to grow internationally. DIT has a dedicated renewable energy team that supports renewable energy businesses to export from all four nations but does not record data or projects on a devolved country basis. In 2018, across the UK, renewable energy exports reached £5.3 billion.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many section 21 eviction notices have been issued in each month of 2020, by local authority.

Christopher Pincher: The Government does not collect information on the number of section 21 notices that landlords have served on their tenants indicating a desire to regain possession of their property.Where a landlord serves a valid notice on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, the landlord can only lawfully regain possession by making a claim for possession in the county court unless the tenant chooses to vacate the property.The Mortgage and Landlord Repossession Statistics record the number of claims for possession brought by landlords in the county court in each quarter. In addition, the latest statistics for the first quarter of 2020 indicate the number of claims for possession issued on a weekly basis from the week commencing 3 February until the end of the quarter. The quarterly data can be accessed to local authority level in the published data files. The statistics are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-january-to-march-2020All housing possession proceedings are suspended until 23 August 2020. In addition, the emergency measures in the Coronavirus Act 2020, which require landlords to give tenants at least 3 months' notice of their intention to regain possession of their property are in place until 30 September 2020.

Opencast Mining: Northumberland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce his decision on the Highthorn planning application.

Christopher Pincher: The Secretary of State will issue his decision on a planning application for an open cast coal mine at Highthorn, Northumberland, in due course.

Planning Permission: Coronavirus

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will list the public inquiry planning decisions he has made during the covid-19 lockdown.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will list the public inquiry planning decisions he has made during the covid-19 lockdown; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Pincher: Since the evening of 23 March 2020, the following decisions have been made. They are all publicly available on the gov.uk website.DateCase1/4/20Station Rd, Long Melford (Babergh DC)7/4/20Barbrook Lane, Tiptree (Colchester BC)9/4/20Vauxhall Bus station (LB Lambeth)9/4/20Land nr Whittlesford, Hinxton (S Cambs DC)22/4/20160 Stanley Rd, Cheadle Hulme (Stockport MBC)24/4/20Oxford Brookes Uni, Wheatley (S Oxon DC)29/4/20Burgess Business Park, (LB Southwark)13/5/20Moor Lane, Woodthorpe, (City of York)14/5/20Hawthorns, Farnham, Surrey (Waverley BC)3/6/20Love Lane, Woolwich (LB Greenwich)3/6/20VIP Trading Estate, SE7 (Greater London Authority)3/6/20Wolborough Barton, Devon (Teignbridge DC)15/6/20Levitt’s Field, Cambs (Cambs County Council)25/6/20Newport Rd, Woburn Sands (Milton Keynes Council)25/6/20Newcombe House, Notting Hill Gate (Greater London Authority)

Opencast Mining: Northumberland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce his decision on the Highthorn planning application; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Pincher: The Secretary of State will issue his decision on the planning application for an open cast coal mine at Highthorn, Northumberland, in due course.

Religious Buildings: Coronavirus

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what financial support will be available for places of worship that have been adversely affected by the covid-19 outbreak to (a) continue their pastoral support in communities, (b) recover loss of income from rented spaces and (c) safely reopen.

Luke Hall: Faith communities have a long history of service supporting many of the most vulnerable members of our society. The rapid response during the current pandemic has been no different and the government values the work being done to support those in need.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government play a facilitative role in ensuring government understands the needs of faith communities and the challenges they may be currently facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to work closely with a range of faith groups to understand how government can support them in light of the pressures they face at this time.Faith organisations can access a range of government-backed financial support measures. Places of worship may be eligible for payment under the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund. Local authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for this fund and may choose to make payments to organisations based on local economic need, subject to meeting the specific eligibility criteria.The Government has also announced a range of funds available to charities, including the Coronavirus Community Support Fund to support organisations providing essential services for vulnerable people affected by the current crisis.Further information about the range of financial support available and how to apply can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/financial-support-for-voluntary-community-and-social-enterprise-vcse-organisations-to-respond-to-coronavirus-covid-19.The Government is also considering what else is needed to ensure that families and friends of those deceased get the support they need - particularly during this very difficult time. We are committed to ongoing engagement with the bereavement support sector and will continue to work closely to assess how we can support charities in doing their important work during the COVID-19 pandemic.As of 4 July, places of worship are open for communal worship with social distancing in place.  We are pleased to be able to allow weddings and other life cycle events to also now take place. We have published guidance detailing how this can be done safely which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-from-4-july/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-from-4-july.

Flats: Insulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support he is providing to leaseholders in buildings less than 18m high to enable the removal of unsafe cladding.

Christopher Pincher: Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner, and they must remedy any safety risks uncovered. We have published advice from the Independent Expert Advisory Panel on the measures building owners should take to ensure their buildings are safe. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-advice-for-building-owners-including-fire-doors. Building owners should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting leaseholders where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for incorrect or poor work.The Government has also allocated additional funding to the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) to provide independent, free, initial advice to leaseholders on building safety issues to ensure they are aware of their rights and are supported to understand the terms of their leases.

Ministry of Defence

Voyager Aircraft

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the graphic designs of the refurbished RAF Voyager; and if he will place a copy of those designs in the Library.

Jeremy Quin: Yes, I have arranged for the graphic designs for the RAF Voyager to be placed in the Library of the House.

Electronic Surveillance: Mobile Phones

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the threat to the UK's cyber-security of NSO Group's Pegasus software; and if he will make a statement.

James Heappey: The issue of cyber security is one the UK takes very seriously; the cyber threat is continually changing in scope and complexity. For reasons of safeguarding national security, we do not routinely disclose detailed information about the threats to UK networks.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2020 to Question 58612 on Islamic State: Military Intervention, whether that matter would fall under the remit of the Intelligence and Security Committee; and if he will make a statement.

James Heappey: The remit of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of Parliament is set out within the Justice and Security Act 2013, and the accompanying Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which is published and available at:http://isc.independent.gov.uk/Except for the circumstances specified in Paragraphs 11-17 of the MOU, operational intelligence activity falls outside the scope of the ISC.

Aircraft Carriers: Spare Parts

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequate amount of spare parts to be procured to enable both aircraft carriers to be at sea simultaneously.

Jeremy Quin: I can confirm that the Department has made an assessment of the requirement for spare parts to be procured to keep both aircraft carriers at sea, necessary maintenance spares are defined in the Unit Maintenance Management System.

Merlin Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the retirement dates are for the Royal Navy's Merlin helicopters.

Jeremy Quin: The Royal Navy's Merlin Mark 2 and Mark 4/4A helicopters are currently planned to go out of service in 2029 and 2030 respectively. The Ministry of Defence keeps the out of service dates for all equipment under regular and routine review.

Ministry of Defence: Coronavirus

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Procurement Policy Note 04/20: Recovery and Transition from COVID-19, published on 9 June 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of maintaining the provision of contractual relief as a result of covid-19 in line with Procurement Policy Notice 02/20; which (a) companies and (b) work areas will be affected by changes to that contractual relief; and what the timeframe is for proposals to change that contractual relief.

Jeremy Quin: In line with the Government's Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 04/20, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be extending the provision for contractual relief outlined in PPN 02/20 until October 2020, where that is appropriate and necessary. This will apply to all MOD procurement activity. On current plans and in line with the wider Government policy, we expect to cease the provision of contractual relief by the end of October 2020.

AWACS: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of the absence of technical conversion, support or maintenance work on the E-7 Wedgetail contract for future contracts.

Jeremy Quin: The E-7 acquisition contract let with Boeing in March 2019 included costs associated with the conversion of the base 737 Next Generation airliners into E-7 aircraft. In common with other projects of this scale and complexity, an incremental approach is being taken for future support and maintenance work, with contracts being let at the appropriate point to ensure these services are in place when required, and not before. These arrangements will be subject to commercial negotiation at the relevant time, in order to seek best value for money for defence and the taxpayer.

AWACS: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration his Department made of the Prosperity Agenda throughout the procurement process for the E-7 Wedgetail.

Jeremy Quin: In making major acquisitions the Department considers the capabilities required, the value for money for the taxpayer and the benefit to UK Prosperity. In the case of E-7 Wedgetail skilled modification work will be undertaken in the UK by STS Aviation at Birmingham Airport. The Ministry of Defence remains committed to maximising UK industrial and supply chain participation in the E-7 Wedgetail programme, and we expect further opportunities for British suppliers in future training, infrastructure and support arrangements in due course.

Fleet Solid Support Ships: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to restart the tendering process for the Fleet Solid Support Ship contract.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 June 2020 to question number 57998 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Mr Douglas Chapman). 



57995 - Fleet Solid Support Ships; Procurement
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Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what reports he has received on the Child Maintenance Service not contacting parents who miss child maintenance payments during the covid-19 outbreak; and what assessment she has made of the effect on the financial security of the recipients of any such missed payments.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 18 May 2020



Paying parents are still expected to pay child maintenance throughout this period. Our priority is to maintain the flow of maintenance that is currently being paid, by ensuring that we transfer the payments as quickly as possible to receiving parents. We know the vast majority of parents take their responsibilities extremely seriously and will do whatever is needed to ensure their children are supported. Where payments have been missed we have asked parents to report the changes via the self-service portal. In order to ensure that receiving parents do not lose out in the long run, we will update cases with notified changes as soon as possible. Where payments have been missed the Service will take action to re-establish compliance and collect any unpaid amounts that may have accrued. There is insufficient data to estimate the precise economic impact of missed payments on different groups. The Government has been clear in its commitment to support those, including both paying and receiving parents, whose income drops as a result of the public health emergency and we have made a number changes to the welfare system to ensure people are receiving the support they need. Taken together, these measures represent an injection of over £6.5 billion into the welfare system and, along with the other job and business support programmes announced by the Chancellor, represent one of the most comprehensive packages of support introduced by an advanced economy in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Industrial Health and Safety: Inspections

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent inspectors have been employed in each region of the country by (a) the Health and Safety Executive and (b) Local Authorities in each year since 2009.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 04 June 2020



The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also recently announced an additional £14m funding that has been made available to HSE until March 2021. Changes in intervention approaches have enabled the HSE to remain effective as a regulator despite fewer inspectors however HSE is developing a rolling programme of activity and will draw down funds throughout the year to bring in additional inspectors, call centre staff and equipment.



52074 Table
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Jobcentres: Coronavirus

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the capacity of Job Centre Plus to continue to provide services with (a) increased demand and (b) pressures on staff as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 11 June 2020



Between the 16th March and the end of April, we received over 1.8 million claims for Universal Credit. Overall, that is six times the volume that we would typically experience, and in one week we had a tenfold increase. DWP is standing up to this challenge and payment timeliness for Universal Credit remains high. We have re-deployed around 10,000 staff to critical frontline services and made important changes to processes. The Department is continually impacting and assessing the service being offered to customers and we continue to keep staff numbers under review as part of our response to the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. Throughout this period, we have collected insight from DWP colleagues on their experiences. We have also refreshed and developed a wide range of wellbeing resources to support our people and will continue to do so. The Department is continually assessing the service being offered to customers and we continue to keep staff numbers under review as part of our response to the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. We have already committed to increasing the number of Work Coaches and Case Managers and recruitment is already underway.

Department for Work and Pensions: Written Questions

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to answer (a) Questions 49012 and 49013 tables on 19 May 2020 tabled by the hon Member for Middlesbrough and (b) Question 52074 tabled on 1 June 2020 by the hon Member for Bradford East.

Mims Davies: Holding answer received on 16 June 2020



I apologise for the delay and refer the hon. Member to my responses to questions 49012/49013 answered on 1st July and question 52074 answered on 7th July.

Universal Credit

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new applications for universal credit have been received since 23 March 2020; how many of those claims resulted in an existing legacy benefit claim ending, and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that no recipient of legacy benefits is financially disadvantaged as a result of making a new application for universal credit.

Will Quince: Holding answer received on 17 June 2020



It has always been the case that, where claimants’ circumstances change significantly, their entitlement will be recalculated based on a new set of rules under a new benefit.Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, DWP’s communications team has reacted quickly and across multiple platforms and mediums to help as many people as possible navigate the range of new and existing financial support available from the Government. This includes launching a new microsite within the “Understanding Universal Credit” website to help people understand the eligibility criteria of different support schemes and benefits and the interaction between the different support offers. Since this new content was launched in early March, it has received over 1.8 million page views. The Department continually makes improvements to the UC service in response to feedback and user research. Therefore, on 3 June we introduced a check-through box to remind claimants to check their eligibility before making a claim and to remind them that legacy benefits will cease when the UC claim is submitted and that they will not be able to return to them in the future, even if the claimant is not entitled to UC. DWP cannot advise individual claimants whether they would be better off moving to UC or remaining on legacy benefits. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK. From 22 July 2020, a two-week run on of Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance (IR) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (IB) will be available for all claimants whose claim to UC ends entitlement to these benefits to provide additional support for claimants moving to UC. This is in addition to the Transition to UC Housing Payment, a two-week extension of Housing Benefit, that is already in place.Data surrounding Universal Credit caseload growth at national, regional and constituency level is published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk  Guidance for users is available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html The latest Management Information on declarations to Universal Credit was published on 16 June 2020. It can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-declarations-claims-and-advances-management-information

Universal Credit

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants in receipt of universal credit died between (a) March to May 2020, and (b) March to May 2019.

Will Quince: Holding answer received on 25 June 2020



Universal Credit can be claimed by a range of working age people, some of whom have health conditions or disabilities, which may be degenerative or life limiting. The decision to claim Universal Credit can be prompted by a range of a factors, including when someone is terminally ill, so mortality figures should not be viewed in isolation. Between 1st March 2019 and 31st May 2019, 1,600, or less than 0.1 per cent, applications were made to Universal Credit where the claimant died. Over the same period the volume of people on Universal Credit stood at 2.3 million. Between 1st March 2020 and 31st May 2020, 2,700, or less than 0.1 percent, applications were made to Universal Credit where the claimant died. Over the same period the volume of people on Universal Credit stood at 4.9 million.

Funerals: Coronavirus

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a crisis funeral loan to (a) support grieving families and (b) provide confidence to funeral homes that their costs will be met in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.

Mims Davies: The DWP Funeral Expenses Payments (FEP) scheme provides an important contribution towards the cost of a funeral arranged by someone who is in receipt of certain income based benefits including Universal Credit.The scheme meets the necessary costs of a burial or cremation in full and in April 2020 the additional element that can help with the costs of a coffin or the services of a funeral director, was increased from £700 to £1000.

Occupational Pensions: Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many workers in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency (a) are receiving auto-enrolment pension contributions through Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and (b) have stopped contributing towards a pension since the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak.

Guy Opperman: Complete data is not available on the employees for whom employers have claimed automatic enrolment minimum pension contributions under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This is because the necessary information is collected at employee level only on claims where 100 or more staff are furloughed. An estimate of the number of employees resident in the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency that are no longer making employee pension contributions, via their employers payroll, is not currently available and to provide one would incur disproportionate cost. In the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency, since 2012, approximately 7,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 2,310 employers have met their duties.

Fast Food: Coronavirus

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many fast food outlets have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive for breaches of coronavirus health and safety adjustments in (a) March, (b) April, (c) May and (d) June 2020.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of coronavirus health and safety adjustments in fast food outlets; and if she will make a statement.

Mims Davies: Health and safety in fast food outlets is enforced by Local Authorities (LAs), who act as independent enforcers of health and safety. LAs in England are currently reporting their general coronavirus enforcement activity to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). BEIS does not hold data on the number of fast food outlets that have been reported. Across businesses in general, those in control are overwhelmingly seeking to comply with legislation and very few have required formal enforcement action to be taken. During this period, across Great Britain, LA officers have been out in their local communities dealing with safety and health issues along with other coronavirus related activities linked to their wider public health duties. The clear guidance available on the governments webpages (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19) and the Health and Safety Executive’s website (https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/index.htm) is there so business can understand what they need to do to meet their legal duties and set the standards that Officers will enforce against and advise upon.

Habitual Residence Test: Coronavirus

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to review the Habitual Residence Test to improve access to (a) universal credit and (b) other welfare benefits for EEA migrants and their families during the covid-19 outbreak.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has taken steps to provide reassurance to and protect the rights of EEA citizens’ resident in the UK by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, so that they will be able to continue their lives in the UK much as before. In order to give effect to this, on 30 March 2019, the Home Office fully launched the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). By being granted status under the EUSS, EEA citizens living in the UK are able to continue to work, study and access benefits and services in the UK on the same basis as they did before we left the EU. EU citizens with settled status who demonstrate habitual residence in the UK will pass the Habitual Residence Test (HRT) and be eligible to access tax-payer funded benefits. EEA citizens with pre-settled status are eligible to claim DWP income-related benefits such as Universal Credit if they are exercising a qualifying EU Treaty Right. This includes those with a worker or self-employed status and EEA workers with retained worker status who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Government measures to support workers and their families through Covid-19 are also available for EEA citizens with pre-settled status under the EUSS who meet the eligibility criteria. These include the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self-employed Income Support Scheme and Statutory Sick Pay.

Universal Credit

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) over 25 years old,  (b) under 25 years old and (c) who were lone parents under 25 years old have submitted claims for universal credit since 23 March 2020.

Will Quince: The number of declarations (claims) made between 23 March 2020 and 14 May 2020 is 2,392,336. The breakdowns requested are not readily available and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Pension Credit

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were advised by the Government to shield in March 2020  were in receipt of pension credit.

Guy Opperman: The Department does not hold this information.

State Retirement Pensions

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to determine the circumstances in which interest is added to back payments of a state pension.

Guy Opperman: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



The DWP has a discretionary special payment scheme and the current criteria has been in place since 2012. If a benefit payment has been delayed DWP can consider a payment to recognise any erosion in the value of the money. Special payments for ‘interest’ are calculated using HMRC’s repayment interest rate.

State Retirement Pensions

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether entitlement to a Category D pension requires a person to make a claim.

Guy Opperman: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



A claim for a Category D State Pension is required (under section 1 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992), unless the individual is resident in Great Britain at age 80 and is already getting another category of State Pension (Section 1 and Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987, Regulation 3(1)(b)).

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a married woman is entitled to draw an immediate category BL pension when her husband reaches state pension age in cases where her husband has deferred taking his own pension.

Guy Opperman: Holding answer received on 02 July 2020



Under The Pensions Act 2007 and The Social Security (State Pension and National Insurance Credits) Regulations 2009/2206, since 6 April 2010 where a husband has deferred claiming his State Pension, his spouse has been able to claim their State Pension Category BL top up from his State Pension age.

Department for Work and Pensions: Appeals

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many direction notices have been served on her Department (a) where her Department has not submitted a response to an appeal within the statutory timescale and (b) after her Department has received a reminder of its obligation to submit such a response since 2015; and if she will publish that information by type of appeal.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not held.

Personal Income: Scotland

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Citizens Basic Income Feasibility Study Steering Group report entitled Assessing the Feasibility of Citizens' Basic Income Pilots in Scotland, if she will meet with Scottish Government officials to discuss that report and its recommendations.

Will Quince: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new applications for universal credit were made (a) online and (b) by telephone in June 2020.

Will Quince: The number of claims made between 01 June 2020 and 23 June 2020 are as follows:(a) online 254,840(b) telephone 4,280 Notes:1. Figures provided to 23 June 2020 in line with published Universal Credit Management Information2. Figures are GB and rounded to nearest 103. Based on claims declared between 01 June 2020 and 23 June 2020

Employment: Industrial Health and Safety

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has in place to support the extremely clinically vulnerable to covid-19 who have not been furloughed and are asked to return to work after 1 August 2020 in the event that they believe that their workplace is not covid-19-secure.

Justin Tomlinson: Guidance for the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19 Guidance for employers can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19 Guidance for employees (including links to advice services if a person is worried about going back to work) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/worker-support

Jobcentres: Staff

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will publish updated guidance to work coaches on the reintroduction of conditionality on 1 July 2020.

Mims Davies: To support our re-implementation of Claimant Commitments in July, we are issuing guidance to Work Coaches and Case Managers. We are managing this in a phased approach to deliver a tailored and effective service for our customers, recognising the individual and prevailing circumstances including COVID restrictions. We have not needed to issue new guidance on benefit sanctions. We trust and empower our job centre managers and Work Coaches to work with their customers appropriately.We regularly update the guidance and up-to-date information about the employment and benefits support available, including Universal Credit, Statutory Sick Pay, New style Jobseeker's Allowance, and Employment and Support Allowance, can be found here:www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/employment-and-benefits-support/.

Health and Safety Executive: Finance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the £14 million additional funding for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been (a) allocated by HSE and (b) allocated by HSE for additional inspection capacity.

Mims Davies: The government has made available up to an extra £14.2 million for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to support the provision of advice and regulatory activities. HSE has, to date, applied for and received £4m of this to establish an inbound COVID-19 enquiry service and to undertake proactive compliance spot checks in relation to business compliance with COVID-19 requirements.

Health and Safety Executive: Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent Band 3 Regulatory inspectors are employed by the Health and Safety Executive in each region and nation of the UK.

Mims Davies: The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent Band 3 regulatory inspectors employed by the Health and Safety Executive by region as at 30th June 2020:  Civil Service Region30/06/2020East Midlands14East of England44London30North East29North West64Scotland48South East30South West24Wales31West Midlands26Yorkshire and Humber50Total390

Chemicals: Regulation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the preparedness of the Chemical Regulation Division of the Health and Safety Executive in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and if she will make a statement.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions makes regular assessments on the readiness of projects under its EU Transition Programme. Regardless of the circumstances, the Health and Safety Executive will be ready with an independent regulatory regime for the approval and use of chemicals for the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

Health and Safety Executive: Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal protective equipment specialists were made redundant in the science division of the Health and Safety Executive in 2019; and if she will make statement.

Mims Davies: Health and Safety Executive did not make any redundancies to personal protective equipment specialists within their Science Division in 2019.

Employment: Social Distancing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of enforcing social distancing in workplaces on (a) limiting the spread of covid-19 and (b) ensuring workplace safety.

Mims Davies: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uses a range of strategies, including regulatory activities, policy and research; which contribute to and maintain Great Britain’s world class safety record. This blend of approaches has been used in dealing with Covid-19 risks (including social distancing) in the workplace through, for example; inspections, investigations of workplace concerns, provision of advice (with over 3 million Covid-19 webpage views), influencing duty holders through third parties such as the Construction Leadership Council and trade bodies and supply chain work. In addition, HSE has utilised its research work and proactive communications. A measure of the success that HSE’s contribution has made can be seen in the very high levels of compliance with Covid-19 guidance that HSE is seeing in the workplace. HSE has continually reviewed its approach, during the Covid-19 outbreak, to ensure it can respond quickly and efficiently as needed.

Jobcentres: Staff

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the ratio of work coaches to work coach managers at jobcentres in each year since 2013.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of retaining online and telephone assessments for benefit claimants as the covid-19 restrictions are eased.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what role (a) claimants, (b) work coaches and (c) assessment providers have in determining whether benefit assessments are conducted (i) online, (ii) by telephone and (iii) face to face.

Justin Tomlinson: Assessments for health and disability benefits are not conducted online. Paper based reviews have always been a feature of Personal Independence Payment assessments and Work Capability Assessments, and wherever possible Assessment Providers will conduct a paper-based review, if there is sufficient evidence available to make a recommendation. Telephone-based assessments for suitable cases across health and disability benefits were introduced from 17 March due to Covid-19. Whether an assessment is conducted on the paper-based evidence alone or via a telephone consultation is a decision made by assessment providers based on the available evidence and ability to assess to health condition via these channels. Face-to-face assessments remain suspended but will be kept under review. We remain fully committed to making continuous improvements to the support we provide to people with health conditions and disabilities, and are evaluating the changes temporarily introduced to inform the approach taken to conducting assessments in the future.

Social Security Benefits

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number of people waiting for an (a) online and (b) telephone benefit assessment as at 2 July 2020.

Justin Tomlinson: I am interpreting your question to relate to all benefits where an assessment is made to determine entitlement to benefit. The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Wildlife: Trade

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the covid-19 pandemic, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of World Animal Protection's proposal to ban the global trade in wild animals and wild animal products that are involved in non-essential global commercial trade.

Victoria Prentis: We are clear that poorly managed and illegal wildlife trade (IWT) poses threats to animal health and welfare, diminishes our biodiversity, undermines governance, and can result in serious public health issues. However, well managed, sustainable trade can contribute to biodiversity conservation and livelihoods, and can help meet the nutritional needs of local and rural communities in developing nations. The UK Government is fully committed to tackling the environmental drivers of pandemics, including by reversing global biodiversity loss, tackling both unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade, and pressing for significantly higher standards in live animal markets around the world. We are actively considering the many complex issues around the global trade in wildlife, including its relationship to Covid-19 and will support swift policy interventions where these are shown to be effective in mitigating future risk of zoonotic diseases.

Waste Management: Coronavirus

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support (a) Lakeside EfW and high temperature incinerator and (b) other waste industry organisations in providing services to local authorities and NHS trusts during the covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Prentis: The Government is continuing to work closely with the waste industry, including operators of incineration and EFW plants such as Lakeside, to understand the impact of Covid-19 on the sector and to provide the necessary and appropriate support to ensure the provision of services. The Chancellor announced unprecedented support for businesses in general, including a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, deferral of VAT payments for firms until the end of June and £330 billion of Government-backed and guaranteed loans including a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. Early in the pandemic, Defra worked with the waste industry to develop an online platform to facilitate the sharing of resources between local authorities and commercial operators. The platform, WasteSupport, was launched on 16 April. In addition, the Environment Agency has been taking a proportionate approach to regulation and published a number of COVID-19 Regulatory Position Statements, to address specific concerns around compliance with permit conditions, for instance on exceeding waste storage limits at permitted sites. These can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/covid-19-regulatory-position-statements Throughout the outbreak, we have worked closely with the NHS to monitor the position in relation to clinical waste. We have clear, sensible contingency plans in place and continue to keep the position under review. Defra has worked with local government, other Government departments and the waste industry to produce and publish guidance to help local authorities manage their waste collection services and household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) during the Covid-19 outbreak. The guidance on reopening HWRCs was developed in conjunction with Public Health England and the Home Office and sets out how to operate HWRCs in a way that protects human health while maintaining safe systems of working. The HWRC guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-to-local-authorities-on-prioritising-waste-collections/managing-household-waste-and-recycling-centres-hwrcs-in-england-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic Since publication of our guidance nearly all local authorities are now able to offer a HWRC service and local householders can make trips to these sites as needed. Weekly surveys indicate that, due to the hard work of those in the sector, nearly all English authorities are operating household waste collections as normal, with only a small percentage reporting minor disruption. The Minister for Regional Growth and I wrote to local authorities on 5 May to thank those working to deliver waste services during the Covid-19 outbreak for the vital role they are playing in protecting the environment, public amenity and people’s health. We wrote a further letter on 28 June asking local authorities to ensure that as much access as possible is provided to HWRC services where this can be done safely.

Rivers: Boats

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2020 to Question 59339, whether there is not a statute or other legal restriction which inhibits the common law rights to navigate freely the inland rivers of England and Wales.

Rebecca Pow: It is not the Government’s role to offer advice on such legal matters, and only the courts can determine whether a public right of navigation exists on a particular stretch of river. My answer of 23 June 2020, to which the Hon. Member refers, sets out the current position with regards to navigation of inland rivers for recreational purposes where there is no navigation authority.

Furs: Coronavirus

Allan Dorans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential link between the global fur trade and the spread of covid-19.

Victoria Prentis: We are monitoring the situation carefully and are aware of the recent Covid-19 cases in mink. However, there is currently no evidence suggesting there being a link between the spread of Covid-19 and the global trade in fur. Farming for fur was banned in England and Wales in 2000 and in Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2002, and there are no mink farms in the UK. Therefore the risk to the UK population from these outbreaks in mink is negligible. Nevertheless, we are keeping a close eye on the findings that mink can effectively maintain the virus which causes Covid-19.

Dangerous Dogs: Police Custody

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that dogs taken into police custody under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are processed and released in a timely manner.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that dogs kept in police custody under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are (a) stored in safe conditions and (b) taken for regular exercise.

Victoria Prentis: Every effort is made to ensure that cases involving dogs held under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are processed on time. The magistrates’ courts continue to increase their number of hearings and the range of types of cases heard has also increased with the reintroduction of first hearing guilty and anticipated not guilty plea cases commencing. Trials, in small numbers, also continue to be listed. Dogs seized by police in England under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are held in confidence in kennels licensed under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Such kennels must meet statutory minimum animal welfare conditions, including that dogs are kept safely and receive appropriate levels of exercise. The 2018 Regulations are enforced by local authorities.

Wool: Coronavirus

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on sales of wool.

Victoria Prentis: Defra does not regularly collect or monitor information on sales of wool. The British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) is a public, non-financial corporation, that collects, grades, monitors, markets and sells British wool on behalf of its producers to the international wool textile industry for use in flooring, furnishings and apparel.

Air Pollution: Shipley

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of air quality levels across the Shipley constituency.

Rebecca Pow: Local authorities take the lead on monitoring levels of air pollution within their boundaries. City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (CBMDC) was one of eight local authorities directed in October 2018, as part of the supplement to the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations, to develop a local plan to tackle identified NO2 exceedances, following a Government-funded targeted feasibility study conducted by the council. This study identified persistent long-term exceedances of legal NO2 limit values in and around the city centre including the Shipley area, and that without further action CBMDC would not be compliant with legal NO2 limits until 2027. Following approval of its plan early this year, CBMDC was subsequently directed and funded to introduce a charging Clean Air Zone in late 2021 that will cover the city centre, Canal Road corridor, Shipley and Saltaire, enabling CBMDC to achieve compliance by 2022.

Food: Standards

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that future trade deals deliver high standards of food produce for people (a) in Wolverhampton South West constituency and (b) throughout the UK.

Victoria Prentis: Our manifesto made a clear commitment that in all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards. The Government has already published a suite of documents which set out the UK's approach to trade deals with the US, Japan and Australia and New Zealand, which all reaffirm this commitment. The EU Withdrawal Act will transfer all existing food safety provisions, including existing import requirements, onto the UK statute book. The Government will stand firm in trade negotiations to ensure any future trade deals live up to the values of farmers and consumers both in Wolverhampton South West and throughout the UK. The Government has in place a range of stakeholder and expert groups to feed into our policy development on trade. These include the Strategic Trade Advisory Group, the Agri-Food Expert Trade Advisory Group, which are subject to regular review, as well as the various supply chain advisory groups such as the Arable Group, Livestock Group and Food and Drink Panel. We are on the side of UK farmers in trade negotiations, which is why in addition to these groups we announced last week that we will establish a Trade and Agriculture Commission. This will ensure that the UK’s trade policy fully considers our agricultural industry and our commitment to maintain our high standards.

Motorways: Graffiti and Litter

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport and (b) Highways England on litter and graffiti on the motorway network.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport and (b) Highways England on litter and graffiti on the strategic trunk road network.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport and (b) Network Rail on litter and graffiti on railway land and structures.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government’s anti-litter strategy in relation to Government-owned and Government Agency-owned land; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The Government’s Litter Strategy for England was developed by Defra, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in consultation with other Government departments and guided by the Litter Strategy Advisory Group, of which Highways England and Network Rail were members. Defra and DfT officials have recently discussed the challenges of roadside litter on the strategic road network but there have been no recent Ministerial discussions. DfT published the Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) in March of this year, which sets out the Government’s long-term ambition for the Strategic Road Network (SRN). The RIS2 includes a litter performance indicator in which Highways England will be required to report on the percentage of the SRN covered by Highways England’s Asset Delivery contracts where litter is graded at B or above under the Litter Code of Practice[1]. Highways England’s performance on this metric will be reported to the Office for Road and Rail and Highways England will publish the data annually. This will ensure that there is an increased level of transparency for road users. We recognise that litter and graffiti are an ongoing problem on our road and rail networks and Defra officials continue to work with Highways England and Network Rail to support them to deliver on their commitments in the strategy, along with our own. The second annual report on delivery of the Litter Strategy was published in September last year and is available at:assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/836953/litter-strategy-annual-report-2018-2019a.pdf. The Secretary of State for Transport is clear that graffiti on the railways is a matter that should be addressed as effectively as possible, and recognises the wider impacts associated with anti-social behaviour such as graffiti and trespass. Addressing visible signs of crime and anti-social behaviour such as graffiti helps to create an environment of respect for the law. This helps to prevent more serious crimes on and around the railway network, thereby promoting passenger safety, such as the closely linked issue of trespass which can have extremely serious consequences for individuals’ safety and cause significant delays. Network Rail currently spends around £3.5 million annually on tackling graffiti across the network. This expenditure is planned for and is part of Network Rail’s current five-year funding settlement which runs to 2024. In addition, each railway operator must ensure that its rolling stock and stations are kept to a high standard of condition and presentation. Network Rail also works closely with the British Transport Police on hardening the rail network to unlawful incursions. This work by the British Transport Police is carried out with other interested parties, such as train operating companies and local authorities, and highlights the series of interlinked issues behind graffiti. DfT is leading ongoing work across industry to assess the effectiveness of current anti-graffiti measures and develop long-term solutions to better produce a clean and more efficient railway network. [1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-on-litter-and-refuse

Home Office

Immigrants: Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people with no recourse to public funds have applied for that condition to be lifted as a result of changes to their financial situation since the start of the  covid-19 outbreak; and how many of those applications have been granted.

Chris Philp: The information you have requested is not currently published by the department. We have been in discussion with the UKSA over this issue and are investigating whether the administrative data held by the department can provide any meaningful data in future.

Immigrants: Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support people with no recourse to public funds who are unable to access support through covid-19 financial support packages.

Chris Philp: The Home Office is working closely with other government departments to support people, including migrants with no recourse to public funds, through this pandemic and are confident we have measures in place to support those who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF) at this difficult time. For those whose employment status precludes access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-employed Income Support Scheme (neither of which are classed as public funds), other assistance is still available. Statutory sick pay and some other work-related benefits, such as contributory employment and support allowance, are also available to individuals with NRPF who are eligible. Migrants with leave under the Family and Human Rights routes can apply to have the NRPF restriction lifted by making a ‘change of conditions’ application if there has been a change in their financial circumstances. The Home Office has recently digitised the application form to make sure it is accessible for those who need to remain at home. Applications are being dealt with compassionately. In addition, the Government has made in excess of £3.2 billion of funding to local authorities in England, and additional funding under the Barnett formula to the devolved administrations to enable them to respond to Covid-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including services helping the most vulnerable.

Immigrants: Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of immigrants on a five-year route to settlement have been moved onto a 10-year route because they cannot meet the minimum income threshold as a result of their income being affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not collate the information requested. The Home Office has established a range of measures to support those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We continue to monitor the situation closely and take these exceptional circumstances into account.To ensure spouses or partners applying for entry clearance, leave to remain or indefinite leave are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control, for the purpose of the minimum income requirement: a temporary loss of employment income between 1 March and 31 July 2020 due to COVID-19 will be disregarded, provided the requirement was met for at least six months up to March 2020;an applicant or sponsor furloughed under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be deemed as earning 100% of their salary;a temporary loss of annual income due to COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2020 will generally be disregarded for self-employment income, along with the impact on employment income from the same period for future applications. Income received via the Coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will also be taken into account;evidential flexibility may be applied where an applicant or sponsor experiences difficulty accessing specified evidence due to COVID-19 restrictions.Guidance for our customers is available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chapter-8-appendix-fm-family-members This also sets out the ways in which the minimum income requirement can be met using other sources of income instead of, or along with, income from employment or self-employment. For example, income from the couple’s investments, property rental or pension may also be taken into account, together with their cash savings. These are unprecedented times. We continue to monitor the situation closely and may make further adjustments to requirements where necessary and appropriate to ensure people are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control.

Immigrants: Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department will take to ensure that the income of people of colour who are subject to immigration control is not disproportionately affected during the covid-19 outbreak as a result of the no recourse to public funds condition.

Chris Philp: Colour is not a characteristic that is recorded separately by the Home Office and any impact of the no recourse to public funds condition on a person of colour will be because of immigration status. The Government has published advice and information about the support available to migrants living here, including where they are subject to NRPFhttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-get-support-if-youre-a-migrant-living-in-the-uk

Offences against Children

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department is making on its paper on group-based child sexual exploitation.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Secretary has expressed her determination to ensure failures of the past are not repeated and to do all we can to bear down on offenders and support victims. That is why on 19th May the Government announced its intention to publish a paper on group-based child sexual exploitation by the end of the year, following consultation with subject matter experts. We intend this paper to present the best available evidence on the characteristics of this form of offending, bringing together insight from existing research, independent reviews, and all of the evidence from the Home Office's own work in this area.The Home Office will set up an External Reference Group, comprising of broad membership with a range of experience and expertise, to review the Pape before its publication. We plan to engage with the External Reference Group over the summer. It is vital we allow time for the External Reference Group to play a proper part in scrutinising the findings and setting the direction for further work.Subject to engagement with the External Reference Group, we intend to publish the Paper on group-based child sexual exploitation in the autumn.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to stop migrants crossing the English Channel illegally.

Chris Philp: Facilitating these crossings is illegal and no one should be attempting them in the first place. France, from where almost all embark, is a manifestly safe country with a fully functioning asylum system. Any of these migrants needing protection should claim it in France. Those seeking to cross must traverse some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. It is a reckless and dangerous crossing, putting the lives of the people who attempt it – including children and babies – and those rescuing them, at serious risk.The Government is working flat out to put a complete stop to these crossings, and all attempts to reach the UK clandestinely and action is being taken on a daily basis. This includes working closely with our French partners. The National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement, Border Force and the UK Police are working closely with French authorities to crack down on the criminals who facilitate the crossings. There is a UK-France Coordination and Information Centre opened in Calais which opened in November 2018This law enforcement response is delivering results. French law enforcement prevented over 1000 people from crossing by small boats in April and May 2020. In 2019, Immigration Enforcement made 418 arrests, leading to 203 convictions for a total of 437 years.  Out of these, 259 arrests and 100 convictions were for people smuggling.  Immigration Enforcement carried out 841 disruptions against organised crime gangs and individuals engaged in organised immigration crime, 404 of which were related to people smuggling.  So far in 2020, 21 people smugglers have been convicted and put behind bars as a result of Immigration Enforcement investigations, with more investigations underway.The UK Government has also returned over 155 small boats arrivals back to Europe since January 2019 using the legal channels available. We have a further 686 return cases which we are currently urgently progressing.There is more we need to do beyond this. We are working on developing tactics to prevent crossings at sea, and on ways to rapidly return those who do get across.  This may require new legislation and new agreements with the French Government. These are currently under active discussion.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants for asylum have been (a) housed and (b) housed in temporary hotel or B&B accommodation in Blackpool South constituency in each year since 2010.

Chris Philp: The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on the number of asylum seekers housed in dispersed accommodation, by local authority, in the Immigration Statistics release, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support. We would not disclose figures for the people we accommodate temporarily. We can confirm that the use of hotels for contingency is permitted under the terms of the Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts.

Visas: China

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce a visa ban on officials from the Peoples Republic of China entering the UK in response to the Chinese Government's policies in relation to human rights in Hong Kong.

Kevin Foster: All those coming to the UK are assessed against the immigration rules and must meet the suitability and eligibility requirements. All UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits.

Driving Instruction: Coronavirus

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued guidance to police forces on the suspension of driver awareness courses during the covid-19 outbreak.

Kit Malthouse: The management of driver awareness courses is an operational matter for individual police forces and course providers. Due to the current coronavirus situation, all classroom courses have been cancelled until Monday 3rd August 2020 and have been replaced by Digital Classroom Courses.

Immigration: AU Pairs

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether plans she has to enable au pairs to work in the UK under the points-based immigration system.

Kevin Foster: The UK’s points-based immigration system will not offer a dedicated route for au pairs, as has been the case since 2008. However, there are other immigration routes which will exist for people who may wish to take up these roles, such as the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS). We have indicated our desire to negotiate a YMS with the EU, or with individual countries within it, ensuring young people can continue to enjoy the social, cultural and educational benefits of living in the EU and the UK.

Visas: Sponsorship

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the proposal to abolish the Resident Labour Market Test in response to the covid-19 outbreak and resulting increase in unemployment.

Kevin Foster: We set out our proposals for the UK’s Points-Based Immigration System in a Policy Statement published on 19 February: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-policy-statement.On the recommendation of the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) we will abolish the Resident Labour Market Test. In its September 2018 report on the impact of EEA migration in the UK, the MAC advised a robust approach to salary thresholds and the Immigration Skills Charge are better ways to protect UK workers against the dangers of employers using migrant workers to under-cut resident workers.

Visas: Migrant Workers

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of migrants entering the UK under the Tier 2 (General) route in the planned new points-based immigration system that will be new entrants rather than skilled workers.

Chris Philp: The Impact Assessment for the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill included an assessment of the potential number of skilled workers that may be eligible under the new points-based immigration system. This included two illustrative scenarios for a potential increase in non-EU nationals eligible under a lower skill and salary threshold over the next five years. Estimates were provided for all skilled workers and not split by new entrant and experienced workers. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-bill-2020-overarching-documents

Immigration

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who originally came to the UK on a study visa were granted (a) limited leave to remain and (b) settlement after applying under the 10-year long-term residency rule in each of the last five years.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people granted settlement in 2019 originally entered the UK on a study visa.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office publishes data on grants of settlement, by initial visa category, in the annual ‘Migrant Journey’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/migrant-journey-2019-report) release. Data on grants of settlement in 2019 for those who originally entered the UK on a study visa are published in table MJ_D02 of the Migrant Journey detailed datasets (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/migrant-journey-2019-report). The latest data relate to the year 2019. The Home Office also publishes data on grants of settlement and grants of limited leave to remain (extensions) in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release). Data on grants of settlement under the long-term residency rules are published in table se_03 of the settlement data tables (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/managed-migration-datasets). The latest data relate to the year 2018. It is not possible to identify the original route of entry from these data. Data on grants of limited leave to remain are published in the Extensions detailed dataset (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/managed-migration-datasets). It is not possible to identify the original route of entry, or whether applications were made under the long-term residency rule, from these data. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’ (https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?keywords=immigration&content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=home-office&order=relevance).

Immigration: Married People

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many grants of leave to remain in the UK were made based on the principles set out in the 2008 Metock judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union in each of the last five years.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the status will be of the 2008 Metock judgement by the Court of Justice of the European Union with respect to its application in the UK after 31 December 2020.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the status of the Surinder Singh judgement will be with respect to its application in the UK after 31 December 2020.

Kevin Foster: We do not hold data on the number of grants of leave to remain based on the principles of the Metock judgment.At the end of the transition period, on 31 December 2020, free movement law will be repealed by the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill and the UK will no longer be bound by the Metock and Surinder Singh judgments.On 19 February, the Government published its policy statement on the UK’s global points-based immigration system and this new system will apply to EEA citizens and their family members coming to the UK from January 2021.The Government has confirmed family members of British citizens lawfully resident in the UK under the ‘Surinder Singh’ route by the end of the transition period are eligible to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Family members resident in the UK by the end of the transition period based on the principles of the Metock judgment are also eligible to apply for status under the scheme.In addition, British citizens who are living in the EU by 31 December 2020 may return to the UK with their close family members under the current arrangements until 29 March 2022, where the family relationship existed before the UK left the EU.

Asylum

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been made in each of the last five years by people who entered the UK on a student visa; what the top 10 countries of nationality are for those people; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of that information.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been made in each of the last five years by people who entered the UK on a family-related visa; what the top 10 countries of nationality are for those people; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of that information.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been made in each of the last five years by people who entered the UK on a work visa; what the top 10 countries of nationality are for those people; and what assessment she has made of the implications her policies of that information.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who entered the UK as visitors claimed asylum in each of the last five years.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been made by people who entered the UK as dependants of people coming to the UK on other types of visas in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Home Office is unable to provide information on how many asylum applications have been made in each of the last five years by people who entered the UK on a student visa, on a family-related visa, a work visa, as visitors and those as dependents of people coming to the UK on other types of visas or what the top 10 countries of nationality are of those people, as this information does not form part of any routinely published data.However, The Home Office do publish data on the number of asylum applications lodged, by main applicants, broken down by nationality and can be found at Asy_01_c of the published Immigration Statistics:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020/list-of-tables#asylum-and-resettlementThe Home Office also publishes data on the number of entry clearance visas, broken down by visa type and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020/list-of-tables#entry-clearance-visas The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Every asylum claim is carefully considered on its individual merits.

Asylum: Finance

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on ensuring asylum seekers are adequately supported.

Chris Philp: Support for asylum seekers in the UK who would otherwise be destitute is a Home Office responsibility. If an asylum seeker is in Northern Ireland and destitute, they can apply to the Home Office via Migrant Help for the same provision as is available in the rest of the UK. UKVI regularly engage with the NI Executive and other partners to enable the identification, discussion and resolution of any support and accommodation issues for asylum seekers in Belfast.

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to issue EEA family permits after 31 December 2020.

Kevin Foster: Subject to Parliament’s agreement to the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill, free movement will end on 31 December 2020. In general, the Home Office will stop accepting applications for documents confirming free movement rights under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 after that date. However, in line with our obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement and equivalent agreements with the EEA EFTA states and Switzerland, the Home Office will continue to issue EEA family permits after 31 December 2020 in order to enable EEA and Swiss nationals who are exercising Treaty rights in the UK before the end of the transition period to bring their family members to the UK during the grace period between 1 January and 30 June 2021.

Visas: Overseas Visitors

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of visitor visas that have expired and not been used during the period in which they were valid in each of the last 12 months.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office does not collate the information requested. Data on the number of visitor visas issued and passenger arrivals to the UK is published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2020/how-many-people-come-to-the-uk-each-year-including-visitors#data-tables

Immigrants: Biometrics

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 30 June 2020 to Question 63333 on Immigrants: Biometrics, under which statutory authority are finger prints collected; within what radius of the juxtaposed controls are fingerprints collected; and how many people have been finger printed since 15 May 2020.

Chris Philp: There are various powers to fingerprint illegal migrants, but Border Force collect prints under Section 141 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. This legislation is extended to Coquelles within the Channel Tunnel (International Arrangements) Order 1993 (SI 1993/1813). The legislation is extended to Calais/Dunkerque within the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (Juxtaposed Controls) Order 2003. LocationApplicable articlesCoquelles (Eurotunnel)Articles 8, 9, 10 and 34 of the Sangatte ProtocolCalais and Dunkerque sea portsArticles 3, 5 and 15(2) of the Le Touquet Treaty Fingerprinting is only undertaken within the specified UK control zones at juxtaposed ports. Border Force does not hold the data requested in an accessible format.

British National (Overseas): Hong Kong

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, ​what recourse to public funds she plans to apply to people accepted under the proposed bespoke immigration route for British Nationals (Overseas) passport holders from Hong Kong.

Kevin Foster: As announced by the Foreign Secretary on 1st July, a new bespoke immigration route will allow BN(O)s to apply to come to the UK without the current 6 month limit, granting them 5 years limited leave to remain, with the ability to live and work in the UK, after which they may apply for settled status and a year later citizenship. This is a bespoke set of arrangements, developed for the unique circumstances we face and in light of our historic commitment to the people of Hong Kong.The new route will be implemented in the coming months, with further details to be announced in due course on the simple, streamlined application process which will have no quota on numbers.

Immigrants: Quarantine

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to support people without funds to self-isolate safely after entering or returning to the UK.

Kevin Foster: We have been clear people should arrange their accommodation before they travel to the UK and the vast majority of travellers have complied. For the small minority who don’t, the Government will support them in finding appropriate accommodation. We are working to ensure non-exempt arrivals without the means to effectively self-isolate are supported in making alternative arrangements, including accommodation, for their period of self-isolation.

Cabinet Office

Dominic Cummings

Owen Thompson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2020 to Question 52215, in what respect the conduct of Special Adviser Mr Dominic Cummings was in his official role during his trips to (a) Durham from March 27 2020 and (b) Barnard Castle on April 12 2020.

Chloe Smith: On 24 May, the Prime Minister explained that Dominic Cummings had given him a full account of his actions and the reasons for his decisions.The Prime Minister asked Mr Cummings to repeat his account to the public on 25 May.This was in the context of allegations surrounding Mr Cummings’ conduct in his role as special adviser to the Prime Minister.

UK Trade with EU

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64182 on UK Trade with EU, for what reason he did not answer the question of whether his Department holds any economic modelling of the potential effect of (a) a trade deal with the EU and (b) WTO rules trade with the EU on (i) the North East and (ii) the UK.

Penny Mordaunt: As the Government has previously stated, it is difficult for a single model or scenario to capture the varying impacts that will be felt across different parts of the economy. We want to stimulate and capture the widest possible range of analysis from economists and academics to businesses and civil society groups. As such, the Government intends to invite contributions in due course about the economic implications of the future relationship.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to update the Government’s covid-19 recovery strategy for the period after 4 July 2020.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government set out our COVID-19 recovery strategy, ‘Our Plan to Rebuild’ in May. The Government has been regularly publishing information on the recovery effort and setting out its plans, updating guidance on GOV.UK as appropriate. The Government is committed to keeping the public informed and will continue to publish documents when it is appropriate to do so.

Emergencies: Planning

Helen Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of Cabinet Office spending on civil contingencies preparedness in each year since 2010.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) operational and (b) programme budgets were of the Civil Contingency Secretariat in each year since 2010.

Penny Mordaunt: The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) budget since 2010 is set out in the table below. The Cabinet Office does not distinguish between operational and programme budgets as resources are used flexibly to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptive challenges. For the same reason additional costs on preparedness will have been incurred which are not possible to disaggregate from wider Cabinet Office expenditure. YearTotal Budget (£m)2010-20119.62011-201210.52012-201310.32013-20149.12014-20158.02015-201610.52016-201711.52017-201815.42018-201917.72019-202021.0

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Jane Stevenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to recognise the work of various professions in helping to combat covid-19; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Further to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during his oral statement on 28 April 2020, the Government will ensure recognition is both timely and appropriate and is reflective of the profound gratitude the nation feels towards everyone on the frontline.

Treasury

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Aviation

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will (a) extend and (b) review the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to ensure people working in the aviation industry are effectively supported.

Jesse Norman: The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation sector as a result of COVID-19. Firms experiencing difficulties as a result of COVID-19 can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is a temporary scheme in place for 8 months starting from 1 March and ending at the end of October. As of midnight 28 June 2020, the CJRS has helped 1.1 million employers across the UK furlough 9.3 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. As the Chancellor set out in his letter to the aviation sector, should individual firms still find themselves in difficulty after exhausting all other options, the Government is prepared to enter negotiations with them as a last resort. Any intervention would need to represent value for money for taxpayers.

Beer: Excise Duties

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of Beer Duty receipts were paid by small breweries that produce no more than 60,000 hectolitres of beer per year, in each of the last three years.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of small breweries received the maximum 50 per cent small breweries relief from their beer duty rate in each of the last three years.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of small breweries in receipt of small breweries relief received at least a 25 per cent reduction in their beer duty rate, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kemi Badenoch: HMRC publishes quarterly statistics of beer duty receipts, as well as quantities of production. Information on the proportion of annual receipts that are paid by small brewers producing no more than 60,000 hectolitres of beer per year is not readily available. HMRC publishes annual statistics on small brewers reliefs, this includes the number of people claiming the relief and the cost of the relief. Information on proportion of claimants receiving the maximum 50 per cent and at least 25 per cent reduction in their beer duty rate is not readily available.

Sirius Minerals: Government Assistance

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 12439 on Sirius Minerals: Shares, and to the meeting on 21 March 2018 between Right hon. Robert Jenrick, then Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, and businessman Idan Ofer, whether there has been a review of the handling of Sirius Minerals' application for financial support by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Treasury has no plans to review the handling of Sirius Minerals' application.

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Kate Osamor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many successful applications have been made to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme by people subject to the no recourse to public funds restriction.

Jesse Norman: Applications for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) opened on 13 May. By 28 June 2020, HMRC had received 2.6m claims representing a total of £7.7bn. HMRC have published tables showing the number of individuals claiming the SEISS by 31 May 2020 which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/self-employment-income-support-scheme-statistics-june-2020. HMRC do not hold data on whether SEISS applicants are subject to the no recourse to public funds restriction. The revised guidance published alongside the legal Direction makes it clear that grants under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) are not counted as “access to public funds”.

Off-payroll Working: Coronavirus

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to change the (a) introductory date for and (b) rules on IR-35 off-payroll working as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: On 17 March 2020, the Government announced that the reform to the off-payroll working rules that would have applied for people contracting their services to large or medium sized organisations outside the public sector will be delayed for one year from 6 April 2020 until 6 April 2021. The Government has legislated this measure in Finance Bill 2020 and will implement it in April 2021 in order to address the unfairness of non-compliance with the existing off-payroll working rules.

Self-employed: Coronavirus

Afzal Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's system of support for PAYE freelance workers during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: The Government has announced unprecedented support for workers and businesses to protect against the current economic emergency, which PAYE freelancers are able to access. The support provided has included: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which, for the first 5 months, enables all UK employers to apply for a grant that covers 80% of furloughed employees’ usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions. Employers can claim for employees on any type of employment contract, including freelancers, providing they were employed on 19 March 2020 and on PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020. This means a Real Time Information (RTI) submission notifying payment in respect of that employee to HMRC must have been made on or before 19 March 2020.The availability of a three-month mortgage holiday, first announced in March as part of an unprecedented package of support for individuals, businesses and the economy. 1.9 million mortgage payment holidays have been granted, equivalent to 1 in every 6 UK mortgages.A £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element. This means that for a single UC claimant (25 or over), the standard allowance will increase from £317.82 to £409.89 per month.An increase in the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants so that it covers the lowest third of local rents.A relaxation of UC minimum income floor for all self-employed claimants.A rebate scheme reimbursing employers with less than 250 employees for up to 2 weeks of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) per employee. SSP has also been extended to those ill, self-isolating or shielding due to COVID-19.

Child Benefit

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he next plans to review the (a) operation and (b) adjusted net income limits of the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

Jesse Norman: The Government introduced the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) from January 2013 to ensure that support is targeted at those who most need it. HICBC applies to anyone with an individual income over £50,000, who claims Child Benefit or whose partner claims it. HM Revenue and Customs use a number of channels to reach those who may be liable to pay HICBC to explain what they need to do to pay the charge, and when it is due. The Government has no current plans to review HICBC thresholds but, as with all elements of tax policy, keeps these under review.

EU External Trade

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with (a) UK  and (b) EU trade negotiators on reinstating a full duty and tax free system for UK to EU travel after the end of the transition period.

Jesse Norman: At Spring Statement 2020, the Government published a consultation on the potential approach to duty-free and tax-free goods arising from the UK’s new relationship with the EU. The consultation closed on 20 May 2020. The Government will publish a response and announce final policy decisions in due course.

Small Businesses: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2020 to Question 51833, how many eligible businesses have not received discretionary grant funding from their local authorities as a result of a funding shortfall; and if he will make it his policy to release further funds from Government in line with local demand.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government announced the Discretionary Grant Fund on 1st May and has allocated up to an additional £617 million to Local Authorities for this scheme. It has taken some time for Local Authorities to Launch their discretionary schemes. This is because unlike the Small Business Grant Fund, and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund, the eligibility criteria for the DGF are not tied to the business rates system, so Local Authorities have had to design new applications processes and set up new systems for their discretionary schemes. As of 22nd June, the vast majority have launched their discretionary schemes, and many have started to make payments. Local Authorities have significant discretion when awarding discretionary grants. The only mandatory criteria for the DGF is that the recipient must have been trading as of 11th March and must not have received any other cash grants funded out by central Government (with the exception of the SEISS). The Government has also encouraged Local Authorities to use their discretionary schemes to prioritise those groups of businesses which missed out of the SBGF and the RHLGF due to the way they interact with the business rates system. These groups of businesses are: Small Businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces, for example industrial parks, science parks, incubators etc, which do not have their own business rates assessment;Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment;B&Bs which pay council Tax instead of business rates; andCharity properties in receipt of charitable businesses rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rates Relief However, Local Authorities may choose to focus on the priority group(s) most relevant to their local area and may choose to pay grants to businesses outside of these groups, according to local economic need. The Government continues to keep the economic situation under review and consider what support businesses and other organisations needs.

Capital Gains Tax

Peter Aldous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to undertake a Capital Gains Tax rebasement for assets acquired after 31 March 1982.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not have plans to rebase assets for the purposes of calculating CGT. Revaluation would be costly and burdensome for both individuals and the government, as a professional valuation of the assets in question would be necessary.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Local Government

Sir Robert Syms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many local authority staff are furloughed in each local authority; and what the cost to the public purse is of furloughed staff in each local authority.

Jesse Norman: Applications for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) opened on Monday 20th April. By midnight 28 June 2020, 1.1m employers had submitted claims to HMRC representing 9.3m employees furloughed and £25.5bn. On 11 June HMRC released analysis of employer take up, which can be found on GOV.UK. HMRC do not require employers to provide addresses of their employees as part of their CJRS claim and so is unable to provide an accurate picture of employee take up by location.

Sirius Minerals: Shares

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 12439 on Sirius Minerals: Shares, whether his Department has had discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on Sirius Minerals.

Jesse Norman: The Treasury regularly holds discussions with the FCA on a range of issues. The Treasury does not routinely comment on specific companies.

Overseas Aid

Sarah Champion: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64925 on Overseas Aid, what evidence will be used to inform future decisions on department's ODA spending allocation; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all future ODA spending (a) maintain high standards of programme delivery consistent with his Department's best practice and (b) is subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

Steve Barclay: We take into account a full range of information with departments when making adjustments to spending plans and budgets. Departmental Accounting Officers are responsible for assessing and assuring the impact and value for money of their ODA programmes on an ongoing basis in line with Managing Public Money. ODA spending will be presented to Parliament to vote upon through the normal Supply Estimates process and will be audited by the NAO when departments produce their annual report and accounts, as per normal process.

Tax Avoidance

Joy Morrissey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to work with his international counterparts to investigate companies and agents who were promoting loan charge schemes.

Jesse Norman: The UK has one of the world’s largest networks of tax treaties and exchange agreements which HMRC regularly utilise to exchange information with other countries’ tax authorities. This includes asking, where appropriate, for information that will assist investigations into tax avoidance schemes including those caught by the loan charge and the companies and agents who promote these schemes. The UK via HMRC is also a leading member of the Joint International Taskforce on Shared Intelligence and Collaboration (JITSIC), a network of 42 national tax administrations. The core purpose of JITSIC is to facilitate the sharing of information and collaboration between tax authorities in order to identify and close down abusive tax arrangements.

Tax Avoidance

Joy Morrissey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a means tested loan charge repayment scheme.

Jesse Norman: The Government estimates that 50,000 individuals were affected by the Loan Charge and that following the implementation of the Loan Charge Review’s recommendations, about 11,000 will be taken out of its scope altogether, and more than 30,000 will benefit from the changes. One significant change is to allow taxpayers to split their loan balance evenly across three tax years. People will not to have to pay their Loan Charge debts in one go. Where a taxpayer cannot pay in full on time, HMRC will seek to agree payment by instalments with them. The payment plan agreed will be based on what the taxpayer can afford and there is no upper limit over how long HMRC can potentially spread payments. HMRC will not require payment of more than 50% of disposable income, aside from where taxpayers have very high disposable incomes. Where a taxpayer has no disposable assets and earns less than £50,000, they are automatically entitled to a minimum of a five-year payment plan, and where they earn less than £30,000, a minimum of seven years. HMRC have also committed that they will not force a taxpayer to sell their main home or release their existing pension to fund a disguised remuneration or Loan Charge tax bill. HMRC have established a dedicated team to handle enquiries from Loan Charge taxpayers. Any taxpayer unable to pay in full and needing a payment plan should contact the Loan Charge helpline on 03000 599110.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to extend the timeframe for the (a) Job Retention Scheme and (b) Self-Employment Support Scheme for industries that are unable to resume economic activities as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Kate Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of  extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for businesses that have not been given a date for reopening.

Jesse Norman: After eight months of the CJRS, the scheme will close at the end of October. The SEISS will remain open for applications for the second and final grant until 19 October. It is the case that some sectors will be affected by coronavirus for longer than others, and the Government will seek to support those sectors appropriately. The Government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for those sectors and for the economy as a whole.

Loans: Lebanon

John Howell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to advocate that any International Monetary Fund loan package to Lebanon includes conditions on political restructuring to restrict Hezbollah’s state capture abilities and prevent its control of government spending.

John Glen: For all IMF programmes, the UK uses its seat at the IMF’s Board to engage in the process of programme design and stipulation of conditions on lending. We utilise the expertise of our embassy network to ensure that programme conditions reflect the domestic political situation while remaining consistent with the IMF’s mandate. IMF programmes in general are subject to strict policies of oversight and monitoring, underpinned by well-established mechanisms. Under its Articles of Agreement, the IMF must establish adequate safeguards for the use of its resources. IMF lending requires safeguards covering key areas of governance and control to help mitigate the risks of misuse of Fund resources and misreporting of data. These safeguards may include limits on how much can be borrowed, conditions on the loans, measures to deal with misreporting or arrears, and safeguard assessments of central banks. The UK also uses its seat at the Board to help shape these policies and ensure that they are applied across all the IMF’s lending arrangements.

Employment: Government Assistance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support he plans to make available to people shielding and unable to work from home who were not furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme by 10 June 2020 cut-off date and who reside in an area under a local lockdown.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 10 June 2020, Official Report column 281, what steps he is taking to support people who are newly shielding after the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme cut-off date and unable to work from home.

Jesse Norman: On 22 June, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will relax the current public health guidance for those identified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) to shield at home. This means from 1 August they will be able to return to work if they are unable to work from home, provided their workplace is COVID-safe. It is important that this group continue to take careful precautions, and employers should do all they can to enable them to work from home where this is possible, including moving them to other roles if required. Where this is not possible, those who have been shielding should be provided with the safest on-site roles that enable them to maintain social distancing from others. If employers cannot provide a safe working environment, the CEV will continue to have access to an unprecedented package of financial support. This is not limited to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but also includes changes to Statutory Sick Pay to make it payable from Day 1, the introduction of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and an increase in the generosity of welfare payments worth a further £8bn. This support is also available for those who live in areas affected by local lockdowns.

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Alex Cunningham: What fiscal steps he is taking to tackle poverty.

Steve Barclay: We are committed to tackling poverty through a long-term, sustainable approach that focuses on employment, whilst ensuring everyone is supported by the welfare system in their time of need. Today we are rightly focused on how we can support families through Covid-19. We have announced a £6.5bn package of temporary welfare measures, including a £20 increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance, and an increase in Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of market rents.

Roadchef: Employee Benefit Trusts

Neil Gray: If he will bring forward legislative proposals to include the Roadchef Employee Benefits Trust in the schedule of tax free employee benefit schemes administered by HMRC.

Jesse Norman: The administration of the tax system is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs, who have indicated that they are in dialogue with the taxpayer. It would not be appropriate for Treasury ministers to become involved in the administration of the tax system in specific cases. The Government keeps all tax legislation under regular review and any changes are considered in line with Government priorities.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Theatres: Correspondence

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the proposals made by the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatres in their open letter to the Prime Minister, dated 17 June 2020.

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department is providing for theatres in Wycombe.

Caroline Dinenage: To support the sustainability of the arts sector, including theatres, DCMS has worked closely with Arts Council England (ACE) to provide a tailored package of financial support. In March, ACE announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and to ensure immediate resilience of this vital sector. This includes £20 million of financial support for individuals, including self-employed theatre practitioners, and £140 million of support for organisations, including theatres, so they can better sustain themselves, and their work, in the coming months. To date over 9000 individuals and organisations have been successful in applying for this support. DCMS has also established the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and the Entertainment and Events working group to ensure appropriate supporting guidance is given to the cultural sector. Theatres and stage-based entertainment organisations are represented on these groups, including via membership of UK Theatre/Society of London Theatre, which is on the Entertainment and Events working group. Sector-specific expert input into the groups’ work, alongside DCMS’s wider extensive consultation with the Arts sector, is helping to ensure we fully understand the impacts of Covid-19 and remain well placed to respond as it develops.

Local Broadcasting: Radio

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will (a) refund community radio stations' Ofcom transmitter and relay licence fees to support those stations during the covid-19 outbreak and (b) take steps to ensure that those stations do not incur those costs in future.

Mr John Whittingdale: This is a matter for Ofcom, who are responsible for setting and collecting licence fees from radio broadcast licence holders, including those payable by community radio stations. Ofcom have taken steps to engage with community radio stations that are struggling to meet fees, and have made arrangements with a number of broadcast licence holders that are having difficulties. Community stations should contact Ofcom if they have fees that they are unable to pay as the result of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Young People: Finance

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the delivery of the Youth Fund.

Mr John Whittingdale: DCMS officials are rapidly assessing how the impact of Covid-19 will affect the delivery of the Youth Investment Fund in 2020-21 and beyond. We hope to provide further information during the summer.

Youth Services: Coronavirus

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the provision of youth services for at risk young people.

Mr John Whittingdale: My department is aware that Covid-19 has had an unprecedented impact on young people, in particular those deemed at risk. DCMS has been working with departments across Whitehall, including the Department of Education and the Home Office, to ensure at risk young people are supported during and post Covid-19. Youth centres are able to re-open from 4th July, to ensure at risk young people have access to support, and opportunities to engage in safe activities. Youth workers are already supporting vulnerable young people through detached youth work, and we have supported the National Youth Agency to produce guidance for youth organisations on operating safely during Covid19. This government will further support youth services with the new £500m Youth Investment Fund, designed to increase the capacity of youth services and the opportunities available to young people.

Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is Government policy to make the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation an independent, statutory body.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) was set up in 2018 to provide the government with independent, expert advice on the measures needed to enable safe, ethical and innovative uses of AI and data-driven technologies. In light of the emerging National Data Strategy, the Digital Strategy and evolution of the wider institutional landscape, the Government is considering what the Centre’s future functions should be, which will inform decisions on its future status.

Leisure: Coronavirus

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2020 to Question 61607 on leisure: Coronvirus, whether a potential date of reopening can be provided to business owners of (a) soft play centres, (b) trampoline parks and (c) other leisure facilities for planning purposes.

Nigel Huddleston: Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active and the Government is committed to reopening facilities as soon as it is safe to do so. The government has announced that indoor fitness and dance studios, and indoor gyms and sports venues/facilities would remain closed, but since 4 July other indoor facilities, including some indoor games, recreation and entertainment venues have reopened.The Secretary of State has established a task force to work with the sport and leisure sector to help them become COVID-secure and re-open as soon as possible. As with all aspects of the Government’s response to COVID-19, we will be guided by public health considerations to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.

Charities: Coronavirus

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what further support the Government plans to provide to charities that face significant losses in donations due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr John Whittingdale: DCMS is continuing to work closely with the civil society sector to assess the needs of the sector and how the government can best support it to continue its vital work. The Government has committed a £750m targeted funding package to support the Voluntary and Community Sector, which builds on the significant package of support available across sectors, including the Job Retention Scheme. A further £150 million from dormant bank and building society accounts has been unlocked to support urgent work tackling youth unemployment, providing emergency loans for civil society organisations and improving the availability of fair, affordable credit to people in vulnerable circumstances. Ensuring charities can begin fundraising activities will be a crucial part of the sector’s recovery. On the 24th June, DCMS published a collection of guidance for DCMS sectors relating to COVID-19. This includes practical guidance and resources from the Fundraising Regulator and Chartered Institute of Fundraising supporting charities to safeguard the public, staff and volunteers as they plan to return to fundraising activities in a safe and responsible way. This can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-for-dcms-sectors-in-relation-to-coronavirus-covid-19

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Parliamentary Proceedings

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans he has to publish equality impact assessments of the move by the House of Commons from hybrid to physical proceedings on House staff by ethnic origin.

Pete Wishart: The House of Commons Commission has previously committed to publish any mitigations identified as part of the equality impact assessment, alongside any other steps taken in the Covid-19 risk assessment. Following the publication of Public Health England advice, the House authorities are currently reviewing the mitigations and will be providing an updated version of the risk assessment ahead of the House rising for summer recess.

Ministry of Justice

Child Arrangement Orders: Coronavirus

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that HM Courts and Tribunal Service respond to applications for courts to to enforce child Arrangement orders within a reasonable time frame during the covid-19 outbreak.

Alex Cunningham: HM Courts and Tribunals Service is working closely with the Judiciary and family justice agencies to ensure that urgent cases are prioritised. The greater use of audio and video technology for family hearings, where appropriate, has ensured that enforcement applications can continue to be heard.How enforcement applications are dealt with is a judicial decision and the senior judiciary has issued the following guidance:https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/coronavirus-crisis-guidance-on-compliance-with-family-court-child-arrangement-orders/

Probation

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of adopting a trauma-informed approach within the probation service.

Lucy Frazer: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) understands that experiences of violence, abuse and trauma are common in the lives of offenders and that this can impact on reoffending and rehabilitation. Recognising there is a greater prevalence of trauma amongst women, staff working with female offenders across Prison and Probation services have adopted trauma-informed approaches following the rollout of briefing materials and toolkits, and consideration will be given to wider rollout following the evaluation of such approaches.

Prisons: Construction

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of 29 June 2020, what category of prison each of the four planned prisons will be.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of 29 June 2020, what the timescale is for the tender process for construction of each of the four planned prisons.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of 29 June 2020, what representations he has received from construction firms on contracts for the construction of each of the four planned prisons.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of 29 June 2020, what training facilities are planned to be built at each of the four planned prisons.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of 29 June 2020, what estimate he has made of the effect on overcrowding in the prison estate of each of the four planned prisons over each of the first five years following opening.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of 29 June 2020, what plans he has for the integration of in-cell technology in each of the four planned prisons.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of 29 June 2020, if his Department plans to (a) decommission and (b) reduce the capacity of any existing prisons.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of the 29 June 2020, whether all of the prison places at each of the four planned prisons will be for adult male prisoners.

Lucy Frazer: Four new prisons are to be built across England over the next six years. Together, these four prisons will create around 65% of the 10,000 additional places announced by the Prime Minister in 2019 and will build on the designs we are already progressing with at the new prisons at Wellingborough and Glen Parva as well as on the work we have done to ensure faster, better value and more efficient construction. In response to 65975 and 65982, we currently plan for these prisons to be Category C adult male resettlement prisons.In response to 65976, the tendering process for the prisons has not yet been finalised so the timescale for that process is not yet available. No decisions have been made as to who will construct or operate these four new prisons. In response to 65977, we are engaging with suppliers on the Crown Commercial Services Construction Framework.In response to 65979, all the accommodation in these new prisons is planned to be uncrowded. The Prime Minister’s investment and pledge to create 10,000 additional prison places will have a positive impact on lowering the proportion of crowding within the prison estate. However, the extent to which the proportion of prisoners held in crowded accommodation will reduce will be dependent on levels of demand in the system.In regards to 65981, no prison closures are planned as part of this announcement. The Prime Minister has made clear his focus on tackling crime and prison population projections indicate these additional prison places are required.We are putting evidence at the heart of the design process. Understanding the needs of the prisoners who will be housed in the new prisons and what we know works to help address their offending behaviour means we are designing prisons and regimes that support governors to deliver the right outcomes for offenders and so make the public safer. In response to 65978, these prisons will incorporate a range of workshops which will enable prisoners to choose between various industries and support them in developing practical skills for work outside prison. central services hubs will bring together education, healthcare, reception, library and multi-faith spaces. Some of which could be utilised by staff and prisoners to hold larger meetings, activities, charities and community events. These services will be scaled to the number of prisoners in each prison and their needs.Access to modern, robust technology is a vital part of current prison design and operations and will remain so for these four new prisons. In relation to 65980, we are also acutely aware of the importance of in-cell technology in the modern prison estate. We will include robust modern digital infrastructure in the new prisons. Decisions about what technology will be deployed in cells and elsewhere will be taken in due course.

Probation

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Update to the Draft Target Operating Model for Probation Services in England and Wales, what the timescale is for the Effective Interventions Panel to conclude its assessments of Rehabilitation Activity Requirements.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Update to the Draft Target Operating Model for Probation Services in England and Wales, published in June 2029, if he will publish a list of the Rehabilitation Activity Requirements that will be considered by the Effective Interventions Panel.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Update to the Draft Target Operating Model for Probation Services in England and Wales, published in June 2020, whether the assessments of Rehabilitation Activity Requirements by the Effective Interventions Panel will be published.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Update to the Draft Target Operating Model for Probation Services in England and Wales, published in June 2020, what criteria the Effective Interventions Panel plans to use to assess Rehabilitation Activity Requirements.

Lucy Frazer: As set out in the Target Operating Model for the Future of Probation Services in England and Wales, the National Probation Service will deliver Structured Interventions for lower risk individuals who are not suitable for Accredited Programmes.The Effective Interventions Panel will be convened in the autumn of 2020 to assess and approve current Rehabilitation Activity Requirements (RARs) to be delivered as Structured Interventions in the future delivery model.The Panel will use the set of effective interventions principles created by the Correctional Services Accreditation and Advisory Panel (CSAAP) for the assessment of Accredited Programmes, to ensure Structured Interventions are based on evidence of what works in reducing reoffending.The suite of Structured Interventions which meet the criteria will be included in a Directory of Services for the Judiciary and other partners and stakeholders.

Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the the provision of (a) mental health support and (b) other forms of personal advice and support for prison leavers on release during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of extended periods under a restricted regime prior to release on the (a) mental health, (b) physical health, (c) relationship with families and others, and (d) prospects for employment of prison leavers.

Lucy Frazer: The Government takes the mental health and wellbeing of prisoners very seriously. We recognise that anxieties regarding Covid-19 and the regime restrictions required for infection control may exacerbate mental health needs and increase the risk of self-harm among prisoners, we are continuing to work to mitigate this as far as possible.In response to Covid-19, visits have unfortunately been suspended and people in prison are spending more time in their cells. They are, however, being given access to services including telephone contact with loved ones, access to health services and where possible time in the open air. The Samaritans phone service is being kept available at this time, and we are working with the Samaritans to ensure that the Listener peer support scheme continues to function effectively. We are continuing to provide care and support to people at risk of self-harm or suicide through ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) case management. For those with severe mental health issues, we are doing everything we can to ensure that the process for referral, assessment and transfer to mental health hospitals continues in as normal a way as possible.As of week commencing 23rd March, all Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) have been operating under the obligations within their Exceptional Delivery Models (EDM). As a result CRCs have adapted to an alternative way of working, albeit on a temporary basis, in order to adhere to the social distancing measures announced by the Prime Minister. All CRCs have a responsibility to ensure the health and wellbeing of their service users during the pandemic. The EDMs are subject to robust assurance and compliance activities, which are carried out by the Authority on a regular basis to ensure that CRCs continue to operate to their contracted obligations and continue to deliver front line probation services to protect the public.We have invested an additional £22m per annum over the remaining life of the CRC contracts to deliver an enhanced Through the Gate resettlement service to people leaving prison to prepare them for release. The enhanced service includes the requirement that CRCs complete specific, tailored, tasks to help prisoners to secure and maintain settled accommodation, gain employment and manage debt and their financial affairs. During the Covid period most of this support is being provided remotely after CRCs invested in greater use of mobile technology to maintain levels of contact with offenders in the community in a safe and efficient manner. After a prison sentence, service users are supervised and supported by Probation Officers in the Community.

Prisoners: Exploitation

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners in (a) adult male, (b) adult female and (c) youth custodial facilities have a (i) history of exploitation through modern slavery, (ii) history of child criminal exploitation, and (iii) National Referral Mechanism referral.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is not collated or held by the Ministry of Justice.There is an assessment process for offenders upon arrival into custody where this information may be divulged voluntarily. Numerous support services are available through local prison mechanisms.A Mental Support Health Programme is currently in the process of rollout via the Prison Radio network, and National Referral Mechanism training will be offered to all prison and probation staff, along with an accessible e-learning package.Data regarding the National Referral Mechanism can be found via the link below, however these statistics are the responsibility of the Home Office: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics

Treatment Of, and Outcomes For, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Individuals in the Criminal Justice System Independent Review

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Tackling Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System: 2020 Update, published in February 2020, what recent assessment he has made of the degree of implementation of Lammy Review recommendations (a) 28 and (b) 29 in private prisons in England and Wales.

Alex Chalk: The Government is committed to advancing each recommendation of the Review in some way. Where a recommendation cannot be implemented in full or exactly as set out, alternative approaches have been sought to achieve the same aim. The Government’s response has also identified actions going beyond the Review’s recommendations. Progress on recommendations and additional actions, and decisions on other areas of disparity where the principle of “explain or change” needs to apply, are overseen by a CJS Race and Ethnicity Board. The Board was created in response to the Review.The Government provided a detailed public update on progress against each of the 35 recommendations of the Lammy Review, and the other related activities, in February 2020 in the “Tackling racial disparity in the Criminal Justice System” update: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-racial-disparity-in-the-criminal-justice-system-2020.Private prison providers are conscious of the importance of a representative work force. Local demographics are individual to each establishment depending on their location. Providers continue to consider BAME opportunities in recruitment drives and onsite race and diversity committees are consulted in relation to BAME issues. As with all report recommendations, the controller teams on site, who manage performance at each privately managed prison, continue to monitor the progress of provider action in this area.

Family Proceedings: Mediation

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the Family Mediation Council of 6 May 2020 on the diversion of potential litigants away from the Court system to Family Alternative Dispute Resolution options.

Alex Chalk: It can be a difficult time for families and parents, with Covid-19 placing relationships under additional pressures. Mediation can play an important role in helping families resolve conflict in the best interests of their children without the need to come to court. We are committed to championing mediation as an alternative to court for suitable families and are grateful for the FMC for their proposals. We welcome the chance to work closely with the sector, to improve outcomes for families, and manage demand in court through the promotion of alternative dispute resolution.

Employment Tribunals Service: Ethnic Groups

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of employment tribunal claims were successful in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those claimants came from each ethnic group.

Chris Philp: HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold the data being requested.The official statistics can provide information on the percentage of cases successful at hearing but they are not separated by ethnic group.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics

Ministry of Justice: Coronavirus

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Procurement Policy Note 04/20: Recovery and Transition from COVID-19, published on 9 June 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of maintaining the provision of contractual relief as a result of covid-19 in line with Procurement Policy Notice 02/20; which (a) companies and (b) work areas will be affected by changes to that contractual relief; and what the timeframe is for proposals to change that contractual relief.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice has reviewed Procurement Policy Note 04/20 and maintenance of the provisions within that will continue to be provided as appropriate and on a case by case basis. We will continue to monitor the suppliers currently in receipt of the relief under the measures and we are working with them on individual transition plans to move out of the relief period by the end of October as set out in the Policy Note.  The Department is working closely with suppliers that are not currently in receipt of any relief measures to provide support and avoid them getting into any financial difficulty.  The Department considers the identity and category of those suppliers in receipt of the relief measure to be commercially sensitive information.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been diverted to another custodial facility during (a) transfers and (b) new entrances as a result of limited capacity in the reverse cohorting unit of the initially intended facility in each week since the cohorting strategy was introduced.

Lucy Frazer: The Government acted quickly to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prisons by implementing restricted regimes to comply with national social distancing guidance and limiting inter-prison transfers. Prisons have also implemented a ‘compartmentalisation’ strategy to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals. Latest public health advice suggests these measures have limited the spread of the virus and minimised the number of deaths.The decision as to where prisoners are transferred following a court appearance is managed by HMPPS. When local prisons have insufficient capacity in their reverse cohorting units to accept all prisoners from their assigned court(s) for that day, prisoners are diverted to another local prison where space is available in their reverse cohorting unit.In all cases, the receiving prison will always be suitable to manage the requirements of a newly remanded or convicted prisoner.The table below shows the number of prisoners since 01st April who, rather than being taken to the local prison assigned to the court where their hearing was held, were diverted to another local prison where space was available in their reverse cohorting unit.  AprilMayJuneTotalTotal number of prisoners who, following a court appearance were diverted to another prison where space was available in their Reverse Cohorting Unit13777154522544 Since 31 March, all inter-prison transfers have required approval by the HMPPS command structure before any transfer has taken place. Decisions to approve transfer take into account the available capacity in reverse cohorting units to ensure any prisoner transferred, can be held separately from the remainder of the general population in their new prison for 14 days. As such, there have been no prisoners diverted to another prison as a result of limited capacity in the reverse cohorting unit of the initially intended prison.

Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on new community cases of covid-19 resulting from infected prison leavers.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice does not hold the information requested.

Prison Accommodation

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the 27 January 2020 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General entitled Improving the Prison Estate, what estimate he has made of the number of prison places that will be lost in the next five years as a result of estate disrepair.

Lucy Frazer: As stated in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report, the Ministry estimates that currently approximately 500 places are lost permanently each year due to deterioration in the material fabric of the estate. This is based on the average losses of places that the prison estate has experienced over the last few years, on the assumption that funding levels do not increase significantly beyond those seen over the period.This estimate of capacity loss is kept under review to reflect developments in the prison estate, including levels of investment and maintenance.We have secured an additional £156 million for financial year 2020/21, which will be targeted at addressing some of the most urgent maintenance issues across the prison estate.In addition, one thousand temporary cells are in the process of being installed across the estate. This will allow the Prison Service to increase capacity and help to speed up maintenance by enabling us to close places, in order to carry out refurbishment work more quickly

Women and Equalities

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what gaps in the PHE report Beyond the data: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups he has identified; and what the timeframe is for removing those data gaps.

Kemi Badenoch: The Public Health England (PHE) report, “COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes”, published on 2 June 2020, looks at the COVID-19 mortality rates of different ethnic groups. This rapid review necessarily had some gaps, and as Minister for Equalities, I am now leading further work to build on this by, for example, driving forward work examining the impact of factors such as sub-categories of occupation and co-morbidities; analysing the key drivers of disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, the relationships between different risk factors, and what can be done to close the gap. This work is supported by the Race Disparity Unit in the Cabinet Office.‘Beyond the Data: understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups’, is a separate piece of work that was carried out by the PHE; PHE engaged with a significant number of individuals and organisations within the BAME community to hear their views about the impact of COVID-19 and this informed ‘Beyond the Data’ which was published on 16 June 2020.